Kangaroo Rats and Mice of California

Kangaroo rats are native to arid parts of Western North America. Kangaroo rats live in burrows under the ground. Kangaroo rats do not hibernate, so they can be seen all year round. Kangaroo rats like sandy or gravely soil in open, sparsely vegetated landscapes.

Kangaroo mice are native to arid parts of the southwestern United States. Kangaroo mice live in valley bottoms and near the base of mountains. Kangaroo mice hibernate from November to March.

Kangaroo rats and mice are named due to the way they move through jumping on their hind legs. Like kangaroo rats, kangaroo mice prefer sandy and gravely soil. Kangaroo rats and mice live in burrows under the ground. They forage for food at night, meaning that this is the best time to see them. The rats and mice are territorial of their burrows but not of where they forage. The rats forage over a large area while the mice forage over a smaller area.

Mammalwatchers are a group of hobbyists, much like birdwatchers, except they look for mammals. People engage with this hobby in varying levels of commitment. Some people use their eyes or binoculars to take notice of what is around them, while others use spotlights and thermal imagers to seek animals out. The ones that wish to be more active in this tight-knit but inclusive community write trip reports. These reports detail what animals people saw and where.

Rodents can be particularly difficult to see since most are active at night and dart away quickly. Many of the more committed mammalwatchers apply for permits to temporarily trap rodents as a way to see and positively identify them.

I gathered this data using the ranges reported by the California Fish and Wildlife Department. I also looked at trip reports from the area to get some more specific points where Kangaroo rodents were seen. I did not record how many rodents were spotted at each point with the trip reports reporting one to over two hundred of the same species reported at the different points.

Other mammalwatchers will typically base where they visit based on what other locations have been previously successful in spotting animals. As such, I found "hotspots" where two or more Kangaroo rodents were reported being seen within a mile of each other. These may be good places to see the rodents, but more likely are excellent places for traps.

There are seven hotspots I have located. Below are their coordinates and what rodents were identified in that area.

Location of hotspots:

Point 1: 120.7478723°W 36.7840208°N

3 Giant Kangaroo Rats, 2 Heermann’s Kangaroo Rats, 1 Fresno Kangaroo Rat

Drive northeast from Highway 5 on Little Panoche Road for 1.38 miles. Point 1 is right off the road where it is extremely flat.

Point 2: 120.8201062°W 36.5757617°N

1 Giant Kangaroo Rat, 1 Heermann’s Kangaroo Rat

Drive south from Panoche, CA on New Idria Road for 2.38 miles. Point 2 is just off the road where it is relatively flat.

Point 3: 119.4476612°W 34.9641922°N

1 Giant Kangaroo Rat, 1 Heermann’s Kangaroo Rat, 1 Fresno Kangaroo Rat

Drive south along Highway 33 from Taft, CA. Turn northeast onto Soda Lake Road for 0.13 miles. Point 3 is where the elevation is level with the road.

Point 4: 118.3137079°W 35.0887388°N

1 Paramint Kangaroo Rat, 1 Agile Kangaroo Rat

Drive southwest along Cameron Road 1.95 miles past Cache Creek. Point 4 is right off the road. The elevation is flat from the road to the point.

Point 5: 117.0022667°W 33.6481667°N

2 Stephen’s Kangaroo Rats

To reach point 5, drive southeast on Rawson Road until reaching Crown Valley Road. Continue in the same direction on foot for about 0.2 miles, just below the treeline. The elevation increases by 10 degrees from the road to the point.

Point 6: 116.3865599°W 33.0368133°N

1 Merriam’s Kangaroo Rat, 1 Dulzura Kangaroo Rat

Point 6 is on an unnamed road off of Little Blair Valley Road. The elevation is relatively flat from the road to the point.

Point 7: 119.0261255°W 37.9427355°N

1 Ord’s Kangaroo Rat, 1 Paramint Kangaroo Rat

Point 7 is at Mono Lake South Tufa Area.

Points 1, 2, 3, and 4 appear to be off paved roads while points 5, 6, and 7 appear to be off unpaved roads. I do not know how many of these points are on public land, but since this is based off of other mammalwatchers' data who used traps, they likely all are. All of these points are feasibly accessible in a car except for Point 5. Point 5 involves the most elevation increase, the farthest distance to walk from the road, and there is a dried-out creek bed or something similar to cross.

Please mammalwatch responsibly, pay attention your surroundings, do not trespass, support animal conservation efforts, and work to offset your carbon emissions. If you use this map to find Kangaroo Rats and Mice (successfully or not), please contact me at williamhenrilewis@gmail.com.