A kangaroo mouse is either one of the two species of jumping mouse (genus Microdipodops) native to the deserts of the Southwestern United States, predominately found in the state of Nevada. The name "kangaroo mouse" refers to the species' extraordinary jumping ability, as well as its habit of bipedal locomotion. The two species are: In biology, a species is a kind of organism. ... See genus (mathematics) for the use of the term in mathematics. ... The Southwest region of the United States is drier than the adjoining Midwest in weather; the population is less dense and, with strong Spanish-American and Native American components, more ethnically varied than neighboring areas. ... State nickname: Silver State, Battle Born State (official) Other U.S. States Capital Carson City Largest city Las Vegas Governor Kenny Guinn Official languages None Area 286,367 km² (7th)  - Land 284,396 km²  - Water 1,971 km² (0. ... A biped is an animal that travels across surfaces supported by two legs. ...

• Pale kangaroo mouse - Microdipodops pallidus
• Dark kangaroo mouse - Microdipodops megacephalus

Both species of kangaroo mouse live in sandy desert ecosystems, and forage for seeds and vegetation among the scrub brush of their native habitat. The dark kangaroo mouse is also known to feed occasionally on insects and carrion. Interestingly, the mouse never drinks water, instead deriving it metabolically from the foods it eats. The kangaroo mouse collects food and maintains large caches in their burrows, which are excavated to a length of between 3 and 8 feet (1 to 2.5 meters). The burrow, the entrance to which the mouse covers during daylight hours, is also used to raise litters of between 2 and 7 young. The pale kangaroo mouse burrows only in fine sand, while the dark kangaroo mouse prefers fine, gravelly soils but may also burrow in sand or sandy soil. Kangaroo mice are nocturnal, and are most active in the two hours following sunset. They are believed to hibernate during cold weather. A dune in the Egyptian desert Desert in California In geography, a desert is a landscape form or region that receives little precipitation. ... In ecology, an ecosystem is a naturally occurring assemblage of organisms (plant, animal and other living organisms—also referred to as a biotic community or biocoenosis) living together with their environment (or biotope), functioning as a unit of sorts. ... Foraging just means looking for food (or, metaphorically, anything else). ... A database query syntax error has occurred. ... Carrion is the carcass of a dead animal that becomes food for other scavenging animals such as hyenas or Tasmanian Devils. ... Water (from the Old English word wæter) is a colorless, tasteless, and odorless substance that is essential to all known forms of life and is known also as the most universal solvent. ... Santorio Santorio (1561-1636) in his steelyard balance, from Ars de statica medecina, first published 1614 Metabolism (from μεταβολισμος (metabolismos), the Greek word for change, or overthrow (Etymonline)), is the biochemical modification of chemical compounds in living organisms and cells. ... There is a suggestion that the words Bunny and Burrow have a common origin and meaning, French in origin appearing in Britain afetr the Norman conquest. ... Gravel Gravel is rock that is of a certain size range. ... For the heavy metal band see Soil (band) Soil is a general term for the material that lies on the surface of the earth, supporting the growth of plants and serving as a habitat for animal life from microrganisms to small animals. ... A nocturnal animal is one that sleeps during the day and is active at night - the opposite of the human (diurnal) schedule. ... A red sunset panorama Sunset, also called sundown in some American English dialects, is the time at which the Sun disappears below the horizon in the west. ... This article refers to the process of hibernation in biology. ...

The kangaroo mouse is closely related to the kangaroo rat, which belongs to the same subfamily, Dipodomyinae. Kangaroo rats, genus Dipodomys, are small rodents native to North and Central America. ... ...

References

• Brylski, P. "Pale Kangaroo Mouse". California Department of Fish and Game. Retrieved July 9, 2005.
• Brylski, P. "Dark Kangaroo Mouse". California Department of Fish and Game. Retrieved July 9, 2005.