Microdipodops megacephalus

dark kangaroo mouse

Features
By Emily Amos

Geographic Range

Dark kangaroo mice, Microdipodops megacephalus , are found only in the Neartic region, specifically the Great Basin Desert of western North America. The native range of dark kangaroo mice extends longitudinally from the easternmost part of northern California, through the majority of Nevada, to parts of western-central Utah. Latitudinally, dark kangaroo mice range from parts of central Oregon south to mid-southern Nevada.

Habitat

Dark kangaroo mice inhabit dry desert areas where there is an abundance of loose sand and gravel. Because they inhabit the Great Basin, sand dunes and other ridges provide adequate shelter and temperature for dark kangaroo mice. They create an underground system throughout sand dunes that provide protection from predators and extreme temperatures. Typical elevation ranges from 1200 to 2050 m.

Physical Description

Dark kangaroo mice are named for their dark brown and black fur color and elongated hind legs. Their average adult weight is 13.5g (range 10 to 17g), and average total length is 158.5 mm (range 140 to 177 mm). Their average tail length is 84 mm (range 68 to 103) and average hind foot length is 25 mm. Sexes are alike in relative size and weight. Because the ears and head are large, similar in profile to the body is similar, their appearance is like one round shape.

The dark brown and black fur color distinguishes dark kangaroo mice from the closely-related species, Microdipodops pallidus (pale kangaroo mouse), which has a lighter, pale brown fur color. Because dark kangaroo mice hibernate in the harsh winter, no geographic or seasonal variation in pelage or mass has been reported.

  • Sexual Dimorphism
  • sexes alike

Reproduction

There is little information known about the specifics of the dark kangaroo mice mating systems. After the winter hibernation months, dark kangaroo mice begin the breeding season. This species is promiscuous, with multiple males mating with multiple females.

Pregnant female dark kangaroo mice have been observed throughout the month of March extending through the month of October. For this reason, these mice are thought to have multiple litters per season. Gestation periods have been measured at 24.5 days (range 22 to 27). Most juvenile captures have been in May and June, but presumably they could be found later into the summer and fall months. Litter sizes are known to average 3.9 (range 2 to 7). Additional information about the general behavior of reproduction is unknown.

The parental investment of the dark kangaroo mouse remains unknown other than the mother nurses and protects the young until they can survive on their own.

  • Parental Investment
  • female parental care
  • pre-fertilization
    • provisioning
    • protecting
      • female
  • pre-hatching/birth
    • provisioning
      • female
    • protecting
      • female
  • pre-weaning/fledging
    • provisioning
      • female
    • protecting
      • female

Lifespan/Longevity

The only information known about the lifespan of dark kangaroo mice is the average years the species survives in the wild and in captivity. On average, the lifespan in both captivity and the wild is 5.4 years.

Behavior

Dark kangaroo mice are solitary, living mainly independently from others of their species. They live in underground burrows due to the species' sensitivity to sunlight as well as moonlight. They emerge from these burrows during two hours following the sunset. The main form of movement is bipedally - hopping with their large hind legs.

Foraging behavior of dark kangaroo mice consists of scratch-digging. Scratch-digging is used when there are seeds mixed into the soil that the mice need for food. The seeds from the soil are collected and stuffed into the external cheek pouches of the dark kangaroo mice to be used as a food source during the winter. Dark kangaroo mice exhibit a food-hoarding behavior, only sharing food with dependent young. They are nocturnal, with activity affected by rain, moonlight, and relative humidity.

These mice are through to hibernate but no concrete evidence has been presented.

Home Range

Individual home ranges of dark kangaroo mice may overlap, and individuals will actively defend their burrow. Although their home ranges can change seasonally, the annual average home range was 6613 square meters for males and 3932 square meters for females.

Communication and Perception

Dark kangaroo mice communicate strictly using tactile and chemical means. They perceive the environment using the same means of touch and smell. No record has been made of information concerning the communication between potential mates nor on any notable form of specific communication within the species.

Food Habits

Dark kangaroo mice use external cheek pouches to carry food. Because they are granivores, the main food source are small seeds from the shrubs and vegetation in the Sagebrush Scrub zone of the Great Basin. In summer months, these mice are thought to consume insects, as well. They don’t drink water, but instead meet all of their water needs through metabolic breakdown of the seeds they consume.

  • Animal Foods
  • insects
  • Plant Foods
  • seeds, grains, and nuts

Predation

Anti-predator adaptations found in dark kangaroo mice include the complex burrow underground as well as a high-pitched squeal they emit when threatened. They are also cryptically colored to minimize detection by predators. Known predators of this species include foxes ( Vulpes species in this range), rattlesnakes in the genus Crotalus , owls, and badgers ( Taxidea taxus ) native to the Great Basin Desert.

Ecosystem Roles

Dark kangaroo mice are prey to mammalian and avian predators foxes and owls This species does not act as predators in their ecosystem. Their burrows serve to function in soil aeration.

These mice are host to ticks ( Dermacentor parumapertus ) and mites ( Ischyropoda furmani ).

Commensal/Parasitic Species

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

Dark kangaroo mice provide detailed information about water conservation when studied in laboratories. The information gathered from these studies can be used to benefit human water conservation tactics.

  • Positive Impacts
  • research and education

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

There are no known adverse effects of dark kangaroo mice on humans.

Conservation Status

Dark kangaroo mice are a species of "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List, although their population is believed to be declining. They have no special status on US Federal List, State of Michigan list, or CITES. The introduction of non-native grasses has apparently negatively affected some populations. Habitat alterations, including the alteration of natural lands to agricultural fields, combined with habitat fragmentation may also be having a marked impact on these mice. There are no known conservation efforts in place for this species.

Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

Emily Amos (author), Radford University, Alex Atwood (editor), Radford University, Karen Powers (editor), Radford University, Joshua Turner (editor), Radford University, Tanya Dewey (editor), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

Nearctic

living in the Nearctic biogeographic province, the northern part of the New World. This includes Greenland, the Canadian Arctic islands, and all of the North American as far south as the highlands of central Mexico.

World Map

native range

the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.

temperate

that region of the Earth between 23.5 degrees North and 60 degrees North (between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle) and between 23.5 degrees South and 60 degrees South (between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle).

terrestrial

Living on the ground.

desert or dunes

in deserts low (less than 30 cm per year) and unpredictable rainfall results in landscapes dominated by plants and animals adapted to aridity. Vegetation is typically sparse, though spectacular blooms may occur following rain. Deserts can be cold or warm and daily temperates typically fluctuate. In dune areas vegetation is also sparse and conditions are dry. This is because sand does not hold water well so little is available to plants. In dunes near seas and oceans this is compounded by the influence of salt in the air and soil. Salt limits the ability of plants to take up water through their roots.

endothermic

animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.

bilateral symmetry

having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.

polygynandrous

the kind of polygamy in which a female pairs with several males, each of which also pairs with several different females.

iteroparous

offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).

seasonal breeding

breeding is confined to a particular season

sexual

reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female

viviparous

reproduction in which fertilization and development take place within the female body and the developing embryo derives nourishment from the female.

female parental care

parental care is carried out by females

fossorial

Referring to a burrowing life-style or behavior, specialized for digging or burrowing.

saltatorial

specialized for leaping or bounding locomotion; jumps or hops.

motile

having the capacity to move from one place to another.

sedentary

remains in the same area

hibernation

the state that some animals enter during winter in which normal physiological processes are significantly reduced, thus lowering the animal's energy requirements. The act or condition of passing winter in a torpid or resting state, typically involving the abandonment of homoiothermy in mammals.

solitary

lives alone

tactile

uses touch to communicate

chemical

uses smells or other chemicals to communicate

stores or caches food

places a food item in a special place to be eaten later. Also called "hoarding"

cryptic

having markings, coloration, shapes, or other features that cause an animal to be camouflaged in its natural environment; being difficult to see or otherwise detect.

soil aeration

digs and breaks up soil so air and water can get in

herbivore

An animal that eats mainly plants or parts of plants.

granivore

an animal that mainly eats seeds

tactile

uses touch to communicate

chemical

uses smells or other chemicals to communicate

References

Andersen, J., D. Portnoy, J. Light, J. Hafner. 2013. Populations at risk: Conservation genetics of kangaroo mice (Microdipodops) of the Great Basin Desert. Ecology and Evolution , 3/8: 2497-2513.

Djawdan, M., T. Garland. 1988. Maximal running speeds of bipedal and quadrupedal rodents. Journal of Mammalogy , 69/4: 765-772.

Gastfriend, A. 1955. New host records for the immature stages of the tick Dermacentor parumapertus. The Journal of Parasitology , 41/1: 63-65.

Hafner, D., J. Hafner, M. Hafner. 1979. Systematic status of kangaroo mice, genus Microdipodops: Morphometric, chromosomal, and protein analyses. Journal of Mammalogy , 60/1: 1-10.

Hafner, J., E. Reddington, M. Craig. 2006. Kangaroo mice (Microdipodops megacephalus) of the Mono Basin: Phylogeography of a peripheral isolate. Journal of Mammalogy , 87/6: 1204-1217.

Hafner, J., N. Upham. 2011. Phytogeography of the dark kangaroo mouse, Microdipodops megacephalus: Cryptic lineages and dispersal routes in North America’s Great Basin. Journal of Biogeography , 38/6: 1077-1097.

Harris, J. 1984. An experimental analysis of desert rodent foraging ecology. Ecology , 65/5: 1579-1584.

Harris, J. 1986. Microhabitat segregation in two desert rodent species: The relation of prey availability to diet. Oecologia , 68/3: 417-421.

Jenkins, S., S. Breck. 1998. Differences in food hoarding among six species of hetermyidae rodents. Journal of Mammalogy , 79/4: 1221-1233.

Keegan, H. 1956. Ischyropoda furmani n. sp, a new ectoparasitic mite from Utah. The Journal of Parasitology , 42/3: 311-315.

Lance, S., J. Light, K. Jones, C. Hagen, J. Hafner. 2010. Isolation and characterization of 17 polymorphic microsatellite loci in the kangaroo mouse, genus Microdipodops (Rodentia: Heteromyidae). Conservation Genetics Resources , 2/1: 139-141.

Light, J., J. Hafner, N. Upham, E. Reddington. 2013. Conservation genetics of kangaroo mice, genus Microdipodops. Journal of Mammalian Evolution , 20/2: 129-146.

Morgan, K., M. Price. 1992. Foraging in heteromyid rodents: The energy costs of scratch-digging. Ecology , 73/6: 2260-2272.

O'Farrell, M. 1974. Seasonal activity patterns of rodents in a sagebrush community. Journal of Mammalogy , 55/4: 809-823.

O'Farrell, M., A. Blaustein. 1974. Microdipodops megacephalus. Mammalian Species , 46: 1-3.

Pierce, B., W. Longland, S. Jenkins. 1992. Rattlesnake predation on desert rodents: Microhabitat and species-specific effects on risk. Journal of Mammalogy , 73/4: 859-865.

Roach, N. 2016. "Microdipodops megacephalus" (On-line). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T42606A115193770. Accessed September 13, 2017 at http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T42606A22229414.en .

Schitoskey, F. 1968. Notes on morphological variation in the dark kangaroo mouse. The Southwestern Naturalist , 13/2: 243-248.

To cite this page: Amos, E. 2017. "Microdipodops megacephalus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed {%B %d, %Y} at https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Microdipodops_megacephalus/

Last updated: 2017-41-24 / Generated: 2025-10-03 01:03

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