About Dipodomys spectabilis Merriam, 1890
The banner-tailed kangaroo rat (Dipodomys spectabilis Merriam, 1890) reaches an adult length of roughly 34 cm (13 in). Its back and upper sides are ochre-buff, mixed with some black-tipped hairs, while its underparts are solid white. This species’ most distinctive feature is its bushy tail, which has a black band and a white tip, and is often waved in a banner-like motion. Like other kangaroo rats, its hind legs are far longer than its forelegs, and it moves around by hopping. This species is native to arid regions of the southwestern United States and Mexico, where it occurs in two separate isolated populations. The larger northern population ranges across arid western Texas, most of Arizona, northern New Mexico (United States), and the Mexican states of Sonora, Chihuahua, and Zacatecas. The smaller southern population is found primarily in the Mexican states of Aguascalientes and San Luis Potosí. The banner-tailed kangaroo rat lives in desert grassland containing scattered, low scrubby bushes. It cannot persist in areas where shrub cover increases to more than 20%.
