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No. They're called that because they hop.

Kangaroo rats are placental mammals, and found only in North America.

Kangaroos are marsupials and found only in Australia. However, one group of smaller kangaroos are the rat-kangaroos which are quite different to kangaroo rats.

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13y ago
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13y ago

Kangaroo rats and gerbils are related, in that they are both placental mammals and members of the order Rodentia. However, they belong to different families, and occur on different continents, with kangaroo rats being found in North America, and gerbils being native to Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Both inhabit desert environments.

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Q: Are kangaroo rats related to kangaroos?
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Related questions

Do kangaroo rats have a backbone?

Yes, kangaroo rats do have a backbone.


Why are kangaroo rats called kangaroo rats?

Kangaroo rats are rodents. which are rat-like mammals with long tails and large feet like a miniature kangaroo. However, they are very much smaller than kangaroos, with Giant kangaroo rats having a body length of only 15cm (6 inches). Like their namesake, they can leap huge distances for their size because of their powerful back legs. Kangaroo rats are not even remotely related to kangaroos, or rat-kangaroos of Australia.


What is some information about kangaroo rats?

Kangaroo rats are rodents. They are rat-like mammals with long tails and large feet like a miniature kangaroo. However, they are very much smaller than kangaroos, with Giant kangaroo rats having a body length of only 15cm (6 inches). Kangaroo rats are not even remotely related to kangaroos, or rat-kangaroos of Australia. Kangaroo rats are members of the rodent family, not marsupials like kangaroos. They do not have pouches, and they do not live in Australia. Kangaroo rats are found in North America, and inhabit deserts and semi-arid grasslands. They do not need to drink water, obtaining most of their moisture needs from the seeds they eat. The Australian equivalent of kangaroo rats are known as native hopping mice, but they are not at all related either.


How do kangaroos get pouches?

No. The kangaroo rat is a rodent, so it does not have a pouch. It is not related at all to kangaroos. Only marsupials have pouches. The Australian rat kangaroo, a quite different creature, does have a pouch.


What is the animal kangaroo's cousin?

There are over 60 species in the kangaroo family in Australia, so the kangaroo has many cousins. Some may not be easily recognised as related to the kangaroo, but the list includes all macropods such as wallabies, tree-kangaroos, potoroos, wallaroos, rat-kangaroos (not kangaroo-rats), pademelons and the quokka.


Do kangaroo mice live in the grasslands?

Kangaroo mice are quite different to kangaroos, kangaroo rats and rat-kangaroos. There are two species of kangaroo mice in North America, but several more species in Australia. They are quite unrelated to kangaroos or rat-kangaroos, but they are related to the North America kangaroo rats. Kangaroo mice in Australia are more commonly known as native hopping mice.There are several species of hopping mice, and they tend to inhabit sandy deserts, rather than grasslands.


Who are the relatives of the kangaroo?

There are over 60 species in the kangaroo family in Australia. Some may not be easily recognised as related to the kangaroo, but the list includes all macropods such as wallabies, tree-kangaroos, potoroos, wallaroos, rat-kangaroos (not kangaroo-rats), pademelons and the quokka.


What is a kangaroo's close relative?

There are over 60 species in the kangaroo family in Australia. Some may not be easily recognised as related to the kangaroo, but the list includes all macropods such as wallabies, tree-kangaroos, potoroos, wallaroos, rat-kangaroos (not kangaroo-rats), pademelons and the quokka.


Are Western grey kangaroos related to another animal?

They certainly are. There are over 60 species of kangaroos in Australia And on the island of New Guinea. Some may not be easily recognised as related to the kangaroo, but the list includes all macropods such as wallabies, tree-kangaroos, potoroos, wallaroos, rat-kangaroos (not kangaroo-rats), pademelons and the quokka.


What animals are related to the kangaroo rat?

Kangaroo rats are rodents, and therefore related to other rodents such as mice, rats, squirrels, chipmunks, gophers, porcupines, beavers, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs and chinchillas. They are rat-like mammals with long tails and large feet like a miniature kangaroo. However, they are very much smaller than kangaroos, with Giant kangaroo rats having a body length of only 15cm (6 inches). They are not at all related to kangaroos or other marsupials.


What is a kangaroo rat?

Kangaroo rats are rodents. They are rat-like mammals with long tails and large feet like a miniature kangaroo. However, they are very much smaller than kangaroos, with Giant kangaroo rats having a body length of only 15cm (6 inches). Kangaroo rats are not even remotely related to kangaroos, or rat-kangaroos of Australia.Kangaroo rats are members of the rodent family, not marsupials like kangaroos. They do not have pouches, and they do not live in Australia. Kangaroo rats are found in North America, and inhabit deserts and semi-arid grasslands. They do not need to drink water, obtaining most of their moisture needs from the seeds they eat. The Australian equivalent of kangaroo rats are known as native hopping mice, but they are not at all related either.


What other types of animals belong to the same group as a kangaroo?

There are over 60 species in the kangaroo family in Australia. Some may not be easily recognised as related to the kangaroo, but the list includes all macropods such as wallabies, tree-kangaroos, potoroos, wallaroos, rat-kangaroos (not kangaroo-rats), pademelons and the quokka.