CreatureData

Heermann's kangaroo rat

Dipodomys heermanni Le Conte, 1853

LCLeast Concernrodents

The heermann's kangaroo rat (Dipodomys heermanni) is a species in the family Heteromyidae, order Rodentia. Recorded adults weigh 64.2 g to 72 g and live up to 8.23 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Heermann's kangaroo rat (Dipodomys heermanni)
Photo: Oliviakosterlitz · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the heermann's kangaroo rat

Weight
64.2 g – 72 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
8.23 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Herbivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
8.3 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
30 days – 32 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
3.11src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
53.1 dayssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
2src for Litters or clutches a year
Active
At night (nocturnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the heermann's kangaroo rat live?

Not recorded

What is the heermann's kangaroo rat?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

Heermann's kangaroo rat (Dipodomys heermanni) is a species of kangaroo rat, a rodent in the family Heteromyidae. Their long smooth pelage resembles typical kangaroo rats, with their dorsal side showing a mixed range of olive, black and orange colors. Nine different sub-species of Dipodomys heermanni have been proposed.

The dental formula of Dipodomys heermanni is 1.0.1.31.0.1.3 × 2 = 20.

It is considered "broad-faced", unlike many other species of kangaroo rats, which are considered to be "narrow-faced". It has five toes on each hind foot, and this small characteristic is important in distinguishing it from similar species such as Dipodomys californicus and Dipodomys nitratoides. Additionally it is smaller than Dipodomys ingens, Dipodomys venustus, and Dipodomys elephantinus.

Heermann's kangaroo rat averages a total length of 250–313 mm (9.8–12.3 in), with their tail measuring 160–200 mm (6.3–7.9 in), their hind foot measuring 38–46 mm (1.5–1.8 in), and their ear measuring 10–17 mm (0.39–0.67 in). Additionally when looking at all standard external measurements it has been found they demonstrate significant sexual dimorphism.

It is named after Adolphus Lewis Heermann, who collected the holotype of this species.

From the Wikipedia article “Heermann's kangaroo rat” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Heermann%27s_kangaroo_rat&oldid=1332638502), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the heermann's kangaroo rat endangered?

The heermann's kangaroo rat is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the heermann's kangaroo rat classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderRodentia
  5. familyHeteromyidae
  6. genusDipodomys
  7. SpeciesDipodomys heermanni Le Conte, 1853
Other names and names in other languages (12)
  • Heermann s kangaroo ratEnglish
  • Heermann’s kangaroo ratEnglish
  • Morro Bay kangaroo ratEnglish
  • Morro Bay kangaroo ratEnglish
  • Morro Bay kangaroo-ratEnglish
  • Morro Bay kangaroo-ratEnglish
  • tarbíkomyš HeermannovaCzech
  • Rata canguro de CaliforniaSpanish
  • calaverasinkengurottaFinnish
  • ハーマンカンガルーネズミJapanese
  • Szczuroskoczek płowyPolish
  • Кенгуровый прыгун ХирманаRussian

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the heermann's kangaroo rat

Other species in the same genus Dipodomys.

CompareHeermann's kangaroo rat vs Desert kangaroo ratHeermann's kangaroo rat vs San Quintin kangaroo ratHeermann's kangaroo rat vs Merriam's kangaroo ratHeermann's kangaroo rat vs Ord's kangaroo rat

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the heermann's kangaroo rat?

An adult heermann's kangaroo rat weighs 64.2 g – 72 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the heermann's kangaroo rat endangered?

The heermann's kangaroo rat is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the heermann's kangaroo rat live?

The heermann's kangaroo rat has a recorded lifespan of 8.23 years.

How long is the heermann's kangaroo rat pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 30 days – 32 days.

What kind of animal is the heermann's kangaroo rat?

The heermann's kangaroo rat (Dipodomys heermanni) belongs to the family Heteromyidae in the order Rodentia.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

Embed a card for this animal on your own site

Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.

Preview the card

APA

CreatureData. (2026). Heermann's kangaroo rat (Dipodomys heermanni). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/heermanns-kangaroo-rat

MLA

“Heermann's kangaroo rat (Dipodomys heermanni).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/heermanns-kangaroo-rat.

BibTeX
@misc{heermanns_kangaroo_rat_2026,
  title = {Heermann's kangaroo rat (Dipodomys heermanni)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/heermanns-kangaroo-rat},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}