Pale kangaroo mouse

Microdipodops pallidus

SUBFAMILY

Dipodomyinae

TAXONOMY

Microdipodops pallidus Merriam, 1901, Mountain Well, Nevada, United States.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

None known.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Total length 5.9–6.8 in (150–173 mm); weight 0.33–0.54 (10.3–16.8 g). Small, bipedal rodent with dorsal surface lightly colored and white on ventrum.

DISTRIBUTION

Restricted to central Nevada and small part of eastern California.

HABITAT

Open areas of wind-blown sand.

BEHAVIOR

Nocturnal and solitary; bipedal locomotion.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Eats seeds and insects.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Nothing is known.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Not threatened, though rare in some portions of its range. One subspecies is Vulnerable.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

None known.