Illustration of kangaroo rat
kangaroo rat
noun
: any of a genus (Dipodomys) of nocturnal burrowing rodents of arid parts of western North America that travel by hopping on their long hind legs and have a long tail and fur-lined cheek pouches
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Several species known to live among Joshua trees are visibly declining, including the cactus mouse and kangaroo rat. 
The Week Staff, The Week, 24 July 2022 The extreme heat, dire lack of rain and drought conditions at Joshua Tree have triggered a decline in several species, including the cactus mouse, kangaroo rat, mountain quail and other bird species. Rachel Ramirez, CNN, 2 July 2022 And feel free to cozy up to the San Quintín kangaroo rat, which was thought to be extinct, until a binational team that included scientists from the Natural History Museum rediscovered it in 2017. San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2022 The display devoted to the 2017 discovery of not-extinct San Quintín kangaroo rat, which came almost 30 years after the last official sighting, includes kangaroo-rat specimens collected in 1925 and 1947. San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2022 For example, a kangaroo rat will act very lazy if fed regularly. Stephanie Preston, The Conversation, 27 Mar. 2020 The commission’s action provides interim protection for the San Bernardino kangaroo rat until a final decision is made on listing within the next year, officials said. Los Angeles Times, 22 Aug. 2019 In the other eight instances, the kangaroo rats leapt and kicked their way to freedom. Jason Bittel, National Geographic, 5 Apr. 2019 Sidewinder rattlesnakes sit in the sands, still as stone—just waiting for one of their favorite prey, the kangaroo rat, to wander too close. Jason Bittel, National Geographic, 5 Apr. 2019 See More
The Week Staff, The Week, 24 July 2022 The extreme heat, dire lack of rain and drought conditions at Joshua Tree have triggered a decline in several species, including the cactus mouse, kangaroo rat, mountain quail and other bird species. Rachel Ramirez, CNN, 2 July 2022 And feel free to cozy up to the San Quintín kangaroo rat, which was thought to be extinct, until a binational team that included scientists from the Natural History Museum rediscovered it in 2017. San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2022 The display devoted to the 2017 discovery of not-extinct San Quintín kangaroo rat, which came almost 30 years after the last official sighting, includes kangaroo-rat specimens collected in 1925 and 1947. San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2022 For example, a kangaroo rat will act very lazy if fed regularly. Stephanie Preston, The Conversation, 27 Mar. 2020 The commission’s action provides interim protection for the San Bernardino kangaroo rat until a final decision is made on listing within the next year, officials said. Los Angeles Times, 22 Aug. 2019 In the other eight instances, the kangaroo rats leapt and kicked their way to freedom. Jason Bittel, National Geographic, 5 Apr. 2019 Sidewinder rattlesnakes sit in the sands, still as stone—just waiting for one of their favorite prey, the kangaroo rat, to wander too close. Jason Bittel, National Geographic, 5 Apr. 2019 See More Word History
First Known Use
1867, in the meaning defined above