It is hard to guess what a Heermann’s kangaroo rat weights. But we have the answer:
An adult Heermann’s kangaroo rat (Dipodomys heermanni) on average weights 63 grams (0.14 lbs).
The Heermann’s kangaroo rat is from the family Heteromyidae (genus: Dipodomys). It is usually born with about 3 grams (0.01 lbs). They can live for up to 2.33 years. When reaching adult age, they grow up to 11.1 cm (0′ 5″). On average, Heermann’s kangaroo rats can have babies 2 times per year with a litter size of 3.
As a reference: An average human weights in at 62 kg (137 lbs) and reaches an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). Humans spend 280 days (40 weeks) in the womb of their mother and reach around 75 years of age.
Heermann’s kangaroo rat (Dipodomys heermanni) is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. Their long smooth pelage resembles typical kangaroo rats, with their dorsal side showing a mixed range of olive, black and orange colors. There are 9 distinguished sub-species of Dipodomys heermanni: D.h. arenae, D.h. berkeleyensis, D.h. dixoni, D.h. goldmani, D.h. heermanni, D.h. jolonensis, D.h.morroensis, D.h. swarthi, and D.h. tularensis. The dental formula of Dipodomys heermanni is 1.0.1.31.0.1.3 × 2 = 20.It is considered “broad-faced”, unlike many other species of kangaroo rats, which are considered to be “narrow-faced”. It has five toes on each hind foot, and this small characteristic is important in distinguishing it from similar species such as Dipodomys californicus and Dipodomys nitratoides. Additionally it is smaller than Dipodomys ingens, Dipodomys venustus, and Dipodomys elephantinus.Heermann’s kangaroo rat averages a total length of 250–313 mm (9.8–12.3 in), with their tail measuring 160–200 mm (6.3–7.9 in), their hind foot measuring 38–46 mm (1.5–1.8 in), and their ear measuring 10–17 mm (0.39–0.67 in). Additionally when looking at all standard external measurements it has been found they demonstrate significant sexual dimorphism.
Animals of the same family as a Heermann’s kangaroo rat
We found other animals of the Heteromyidae family:
- Gaumer’s spiny pocket mouse with a weight of 63 grams
- Bailey’s pocket mouse with a weight of 27 grams
- Desert pocket mouse with a weight of 15 grams
- Trinidad spiny pocket mouse with a weight of 69 grams
- Desmarest’s spiny pocket mouse with a weight of 73 grams
- Phillips’s kangaroo rat with a weight of 41 grams
- Great Basin pocket mouse with a weight of 21 grams
- Little pocket mouse with a weight of 8 grams
- Salvin’s spiny pocket mouse with a weight of 42 grams
- Great Basin pocket mouse with a weight of 24 grams
Animals with the same weight as a Heermann’s kangaroo rat
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Dipodomys heermanni:
- Nephelomys keaysi bringing 58 grams to the scale
- Transandinomys talamancae bringing 54 grams to the scale
- Broad-footed climbing mouse bringing 57 grams to the scale
- Southern big-eared mouse bringing 70 grams to the scale
- Dwarf fat-tailed jerboa bringing 52 grams to the scale
- Pygmy treeshrew bringing 70 grams to the scale
- Akodon aerosus bringing 60 grams to the scale
- Oecomys phaeotis bringing 73 grams to the scale
- Long-nosed dasyure bringing 52 grams to the scale
- Panamint chipmunk bringing 51 grams to the scale
Animals with the same size as a Heermann’s kangaroo rat
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Heermann’s kangaroo rat:
- Long-tailed pocket mouse with a size of 9.7 cm (0′ 4″)
- Painted spiny pocket mouse with a size of 11.4 cm (0′ 5″)
- Soft-furred Oldfield mouse with a size of 11.2 cm (0′ 5″)
- Moss-forest rat with a size of 11.5 cm (0′ 5″)
- Djoongari with a size of 10.6 cm (0′ 5″)
- Monito del monte with a size of 10.5 cm (0′ 5″)
- Northern red-backed vole with a size of 10.9 cm (0′ 5″)
- Coxing’s white-bellied rat with a size of 13 cm (0′ 6″)
- Mountain pygmy possum with a size of 11.4 cm (0′ 5″)
- Prince Demidoff’s bushbaby with a size of 12 cm (0′ 5″)
Animals with the same litter size as a Heermann’s kangaroo rat
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (3) as a Heermann’s kangaroo rat:
- Juniper vole
- Four-toed hedgehog
- Savanna gerbil
- Namaqua dune mole-rat
- Northern grasshopper mouse
- Short-tailed mongoose
- Malayan field rat
- Anderson’s gerbil
- Eastern woodrat
- Chestnut climbing mouse
Animals with the same life expectancy as a Heermann’s kangaroo rat
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a Heermann’s kangaroo rat:
- Red hocicudo with an average maximal age of 2.58 years
- Hoary bat with an average maximal age of 2.08 years
- Wongai ningaui with an average maximal age of 2 years
- Common opossum with an average maximal age of 2.67 years
- Mongolian gerbil with an average maximal age of 2 years
- Mediterranean water shrew with an average maximal age of 2 years
- Golden mouse with an average maximal age of 2.5 years
- South African pouched mouse with an average maximal age of 2.75 years
- Southern Plains woodrat with an average maximal age of 2.25 years
- Common shrew with an average maximal age of 2 years