The feared extinct Kangaroo Rat discovered alive and well in Mexico
For more than thirty years, this adorable creature was feared extinct, as its traditional habitat was turned into farmland. Now, conservationists have
confirmed that the San Quintin kangaroo rat has been discovered, having last been seen in 1986.
The tiny creature was rediscovered in Baja California in Mexico by researchers from the San Diego Natural History Museum and a non-profit in the
region called Terra Peninsular. The kangaroo rat had been listed as endangered in 1994 by the Mexican government and was presumed lost forever as much
of its native habitat was converted into land for growing tomatoes and strawberries.
Active searches and monitoring had been taking place since but without success. Last summer however, Scott Tremor of the San Diego museum was out
conducting research with a colleague when they managed to find four live kangaroo rats.
Scott Tremor said: “not only is this discovery a perfect example of the importance of good old-fashioned natural history work, but we have the
opportunity to develop a conservation plan based on our findings.” The kangaroo rats are about five inches in length with a distinctive tufted tail.
Their name comes from their powerful back legs which let them bound along like the famous Australian marsupial.
It’s actually the third mammal that was thought to be extinct that has been rediscovered on the Baja California peninsula by the San Diego Natural
History Museum. Researchers were also able to find examples of both the high elevation California vole and the round tail ground squirrel.
The museum responsible for the rediscoveries is one of San Diego’s most popular recreation spots. It can be found in the city’s Balboa Park, not
far from the famous zoo and a host of other attractions.
What a cute creature and what a blooming shame that they call it a RAT!
motoged - 5-8-2018 at 09:32 AM
Blanca.
Hey....rats have feelings , too.......
Too bad they have become a symbol of unsavory things...
Pack rats are kinda cute, too....but smell a bit skunky.
fishbuck - 5-9-2018 at 08:31 PM
Attencion Baja Nomados y Nomadas.
In honor of my recent unextenction I ,San Quintin Rat, hearby decree that a new beer shall be brewed!
The new beer will be the official beer of the Rat preserve. All who enter must drink it... excessively in joyous celibration.
The name of this new beer is...
SAN QUINTIN-ROO
"Jump right in the cervesa is fine"
Thank you for saving me from extintion by drinking all of my beer that you can.
Sinecerely
San Quintin Kangaroo Rat and family
"I don't always drink beer (anymore) but when I do I drink ROO."
"Fishbuck" the most interesting man in one very small fishcamp in somewhere in Baja"
And personal friend of Baja Kangaroo Rats everywhere.
[Edited on 5-10-2018 by fishbuck]Paco Facullo - 5-9-2018 at 08:43 PM
Me thinks fishbuck fell off the wagon...........fishbuck - 5-9-2018 at 09:00 PM
Only if RAT's new brewery is a success.
I need to figure out how to hook into the purified berry water from the new desal plant.
Maybe Rat can help. He knows every nook and cranny.
He has eluded those guys for years. They thought they finally killed him off.
You just gave Rat an idea for a new beer: Berry-Berry-ROO.
It needs a slogan... anybody got anything?
I'll try.
"A girl beer that still has a kick"
What do you think? RAT liked it a lot.😎 4x4abc - 5-11-2018 at 04:53 AM
Funny little critters.
They have a habit of finding peanuts and stuffing them into paper towel rolls, coffee maker and have even found that they hide them in my jacket
pocket at night.
Here's a pic of the little devil stealing a peanut.
bajapedro - 5-11-2018 at 07:00 AM
Funny little critters.
They have a habit of finding peanuts and stuffing them into paper towel rolls, coffee maker and have even found that they hide them in my jacket
pocket at night.
Here's a pic of the little devil stealing a peanut.
fishbuck - 5-11-2018 at 05:59 PM
Yeah, rat travels there a lot. That's where he learns to brew beer.
[Edited on 5-12-2018 by fishbuck]Sr.vienes - 5-13-2018 at 03:54 PM
We have always had a good supply of Kangaroo Rats up here in Mohave county az. Our high school science teacher told us that a class some years
previous to ours had kept one at the high school in a cage for several months with absolutely no water to the point of even toasting his food. The
poor little critter was said to have had no ill effects from this aside from little dust clouds when it farted. bajabuddha - 5-13-2018 at 04:44 PM
