Do you know Kangaroo Rats never drink water, which is an essential component for living? Yes they don’t have to drink water at all for their living. Strange isn’t it? Let us see what is this special animal and how does it survive without drinking water.
Kangaroo Rat is small rodent of genus Dipodomys and Nocturnal type of creature. Nocturnality is a behaviour of an animal which is active during night and sleeping during the day time. They normally have high sense of hearing, smell and special adapted eyesight.
The Kangaroo Rats are native to arid areas of Western North America. The name is due to their behaviour where they hop in a similar manner to larger Kangaroos. They are four-toed heteromyid rodents with big hind legs, small front legs and relatively large heads. The adult forms weigh between 70 and 170 grams. Their tails are longer than both bodies and heads.
Food and Habitat
Kangaroo Rats live in arid and semiarid areas, particularly on sandy or soft soild, suitable for burrowing. They are found from below sea level to at least 7,100 feet. They are sensitive to extreme temperatures and remain in their burrows during rain storms and other forms of inclement weather.
Kangaroo Rats are mainly seed eaters and occasionally eat vegetation. They also eat insects in some cases. They store seeds in their cheek pouches and store extra seeds in seed caches. Kangaroo Rats conserve energy and water by minimizing their time away from their cool, dry burrows.
As their habitat is generally hot and dry, they must conserve water and do this by lowering their metabolic rate. This helps reducing water loss through their skin and respiratory system. Kangaroo Rats obtain the water content from the metabolic oxidation of the seeds they eat and thus do not drink water at all.
Read more about Kangaroo Rats here
