6 NEBRASKAland • MARCH 2015
Kangaroo Rat
By Lindsay Rogers
Found in western Nebraska,
Ord's kangaroo rats prefer to live
in areas with sandy soil and their
nest consists of a burrow in the
ground. As their name suggests,
kangaroo rats have extremely
large hind legs which are used
to hop similar to a kangaroo
and are well adapted to arid
conditions.
Kangaroo rats are nocturnal and
feed on seeds and dry vegetation.
They are related to pocket mice
and kangaroo mice and all
species in this family have a small
fur-lined pocket or pouch inside
their mouth where they store
food. ■
PHOTO
BY
JON
FARRAR
A Mammal
Brief
PHOT PHOT PHOT PHOTO
BY
O
BY
O
BY
O
BY
JON JON JON JON
FAR FAR FAR FARRAR
RAR RAR RAR
This Ord's kangaroo rat was
photographed two miles from Wood
Lake in Cherry County.
