Kangaroo Rat Believed To Be Extinct Appears 30 Years Later
The San Quintin kangaroo rat was last seen more than 30 years ago in Baja California, Mexico, and Mexican authorities declared the creature critically endangered, or possibly extinct, in 1994. Twenty-three years later, biologists in the area spotted not one, but four of the small mammals hopping into their survey traps.
The rats get their name from their ability to hop – just like kangaroos – and play a key part in the ecosystem of arid areas in western North America. They help disperse seeds and provide a wholesome meal for predators such as foxes and coyotes. Although the kangaroo rat is small – only about twelve centimeters long (5 inches), they’re able to leap up to two meters – that would be equivalent of humans being able to regularly jump 20 meters horizontally!
After invasive agriculture took over their home during the 1970’s, their habitat and food were gone, and their numbers declined rapidly. They once inhabited more than 150 kilometers of coastline in northern Baja California, living in the thousands of narrow coastal valleys. With their numbers declining so rapidly due to expanding agriculture, they were believed to have become extinct, or be close to it.
Nine months ago, a team of biology researchers checking to see what mammals are living in the area, found the San Quintin kangaroo rats in their survey traps. Since the rats were believed to have gone extinct more than 20 years ago, the researchers didn’t know what species they were. They did some digging, looking at specimens from museums and photographs. The researchers believe the comeback of these kangaroo rats is due to the drought-ridden area which resulted in a decrease in farming.
