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Merriam's kangaroo rats obtain enough water from the metabolic oxidation of the seeds they eat to survive and do not need to drink water at all. [11] To help conserve water they produce very concentrated urine, via a process apparently associated with expression of aquaporin 1 along a longer than usual segment of the descending limb of the loop ...
The diet of Merriam's kangaroo rat is almost exclusively plant seeds (they are granivorous). The bulk of their diet consists of the seeds of desert and grassland plants. They rarely drink water. Rather, they obtain water through metabolic processes augmented by the moisture content of their food.
A single Ord's kangaroo rat may make tens to hundreds of caches, each with tens to hundreds of seeds. [33] Kangaroo rats are physiologically adapted to arid environments. Most water is obtained from seeds and succulent plants. They drink water when it is available, but apparently do not require free water. [19] [34]
Most animal feces are over 75% water; xerocoles, however, reabsorb water in the gut and produce much drier feces. [21] For example, the kangaroo rat's feces contain only 1 ⁄ 6 as much water as that of other, non-desert rodents. [22] In insects, the rectal gland also absorbs water, and the insects excrete dry pellets. [21]
The desert kangaroo rat (Dipodomys deserti) is a rodent species in the family Heteromyidae that is found in desert areas of southwestern North America. [2] It is one of the large kangaroo rats , with a total length greater than 12 inches (300 mm) and a mass greater than 3.2 ounces (91 g).
The Santa Cruz kangaroo rat, more closely related to chipmunks and gophers than kangaroos or rats, had not been spotted in the area since the 1940s. The Santa Cruz kangaroo rat, more closely ...
The kangaroo rats, kangaroo mice and pocket mice are adapted for life in deserts and other arid environments where they largely feed on dry seeds. Kangaroo rats have no need to drink because they are able to extract sufficient water from metabolising their food, obtaining half a gram of water from each gram of seeds eaten.
Oxidising a gram of carbohydrate produces 0.60 grams of water; a gram of protein produces 0.41 grams of water; and a gram of fat produces 1.07 grams of water, [85] making it possible for xerocoles to live with little or no access to drinking water. [86] The kangaroo rat for example makes use of this water of metabolism and conserves water both ...