The agile kangaroo rat (''Dipodomys agilis'') is a species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...

in the family

Heteromyidae Heteromyidae is a family of rodents consisting of kangaroo rats, kangaroo mice, pocket mice and spiny pocket mice. Most heteromyids live in complex burrows within the deserts and grasslands of western North America, though species within the ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to southern

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Relatively little information has been published on the natural history, life history, ecology, or behavior of the agile kangaroo rat. The species appears to be part of the Californian kangaroo rat radiation, which is derived from a common ancestor with Ord's kangaroo rat.Hafner, John C., Jessica E. Light, David J. Hafner, Mark S. Hafner, Emily Reddington, Duke S. Rogers, and Brett R. Riddle. 2007. "Basal Clades and Molecular Systematics of Heteromyid Rodents." Journal of Mammalogy 88 (5) (October 1): 1129-114

/ref> Best compared 19 morphological measurements from specimens from 34 populations across the species range, and concluded that the species is monotypic.Best, Troy L. 1983. "Intraspecific Variation in the Agile Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys agilis)." Journal of Mammalogy 64 (3): 426-436. . An observational study found distinct habitat differences between the agile and Dipodomys stephensi, Stephens's kangaroo rats, with the agile preferring more shrubs and lighter soils.Price, Mary V., William S. Longland, and Ross L. Goldingay. 1991. "Niche Relationships of Dipodomys agilis and D. stephensi: Two Sympatric Kangaroo Rats of Similar Size." American Midland Naturalist 126 (1) (July 1): 172-186. .

References

agilis Endemic fauna of California Endemic rodents of the United States Fauna of the Colorado Desert Mammals described in 1848 Taxa named by William Gambel Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Heteromyidae-stub