Dipodomys heermanni morroensis Merriam, 1907
Morro Bay kangaroo rat
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Synonym/s: Perodipus morroensis Merriam, 1907; Dipodomy morroensis Merriam, 1907
Subsumed into D. heermanni by (Boulware, 1943). Invalid (synonym) according to (Benedict et al., 2019).
Conservation Status
Invalid (synonym) (Benedict et al., 2019)
Last record: 1991 (Suckling et al., 2004); 1993 (Kofron & Villablanca, 2016)
Distribution
South side of Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo County, California, USA
Biology & Ecology
Hypodigm
Media
Above: a photo of a Morro Bay kangaroo rat (Dipodomys heermanni morroensis) taken by Moose Peterson in 1985. Public domain. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
References
Original scientific description:
Merriam, C. H. (1907). Descriptions of ten new kangaroo rats. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 20: 75-80.
Other references:
Benedict, Bridgett D., Castellanos, Adrian A. and Light, Jessica E. (2019). Phylogeographic assessment of the Heermann’s kangaroo rat (Dipodomys heermanni). Journal of Mammalogy 100(1): 72-91. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyy166
Boulware, J. (1943). Two new subspecies of kangaroo rats (genus Dipodomys) from southern California. Univ. Cal. Publ. Zool. 46(7): 391-396.
Congdon, J. D. (1971). Population estimate and distribution of the Morro Bay Kangaroo Rat. California Dept. Fish Game, Wildlife Mgmt. Br. Admin. Rpt., No. 70-11. Unpublished. 16 pp.
Congdon, J. D. and Roest, A. (1975). Status of the endangered Morro Bay Kangaroo Rat. J. Mammal. 56: 679-683.
Gambs, R. D. (1986a). Status of Morro Bay kangaroo rats on 3 study plots ate the Bayview site in 1984 and 1985. Interim Report, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sacramento, California. 29 pp.
Gambs, R. D. (1986b). The effects of a proposed wastewater system in the communities of Los Osos and Baywood Park, California, on the endangered Morro Bay kangaroo rat (Dipodomys heermanni morroensis). Biological Assessment, San Luis Obispo County, California. 26 pp.
Gambs, R. D. (1986c). The effects of a prescribed burn (October 3, 1985) on small mammal populations occupying critical Morro Bay kangaroo rat habitat at Montana de Oro State Park: Comparison of pre-burn data (1985) to post-burn data (1986). Final Report, California Department of Parks and Recreation, Sacramento, California. 44 pp.
Gambs, R. D. (1986d). I. Effects of habitat manipulation (brush clearing and prescribed burning) on small mammal populations at the Pecho site in 1985 and 1986: plots ABC, DEF, GHI, JKL, TUVWX, AABBCCDDEE, and FFGGHHIIJJ; II. Population studies of Morro Bay kangaroo rats and other small mammals at the Bayview site in 1986: plots, NOP, QRS, and KKLLMM; III. Trends in small mammal populations on 7 study plots at the Pecho site and 3 study plots at the Bayview site from 1983 to 1986. Interim Report, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sacramento, California. 81 pp.
Gambs, R. D. and Holland V. L. (1988). Ecology of the Morro Bay kangaroo rat (Dipodomys heermanni morroensis). Final Report, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Contract # 14-16-0001-85154 NR, Sacramento, California. 138 pp.
Gambs, R. D. and Nelson, A. R. (1989). Introduction of captive Morro bay kangaroo rats (Dipodomys heermanni morroensis) into an enclosure on critical habitat at Montana De Oro State Park. Final Report, Cal. Dept. of Fish and Game, Sacramento, CA. Contract # FG7568. 85 pp.
Gambs, R. D. and Nelson, A. R. (1990). Introduction of captive Morro bay kangaroo rats (Dipodomys heermanni morroensis) into an enclosure on critical habitat at Montana De Oro State Park. Final Report, Cal. Dept. of Fish and Game, Nongame Bird and Mammal Sec. rep., Job EW 88 XVIII-1. 38 pp.
Gambs, R. D., Villablanca, F. X. and Roest, A. I. (1988). Estimating the breeding season of Morro Bay kangaroo rats. Poster presented at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Amer. Soc. of Mammalogists, June 1988, Clemson Univ., Clemson, SC.
Grinnell, J. (1922). A geographical study of the kangaroo rats of California. Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool. 24(1): 1-124.
Hopkins, Jaran, Bean, Tim and Villablanca, Francis. (2023). Determining Extinction for Small Cryptic Species: The Morro Bay Kangaroo Rat. Diversity 15(2): 245. https://doi.org/10.3390/d15020245
IUCN. (1976). Morro Bay Kangaroo Rat. Sheet Code 10.63.3.2.1. In: Red Data Book, vol. I Mammalia. Switzerland: IUCN.
Kofron, Christopher P. and Villablanca, Francis X. (2016). Decline of the Endangered Morro Bay Kangaroo Rat in California. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 7(1): 237-254. https://doi.org/10.3996/102014-JFWM-078
Matocq, M., Villablanca, F. X., Orrego, C. and Randall, J. (1995). A mtDNA study of museum specimens reveals low historic genetic diversity in the endangered Morro Bay Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys heermanni morroensis). Annual Meeting, Western Section, The Wildlife Society. Santa Rosa, California.
National Fish and Wildlife Laboratory. (1980). Morro Bay Kangaroo Rat. In: Selected Vertebrate Endangered Species of the Seacoast of the United States. FWS/DBS-80/01/19. Biological Service Programme. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Patton, J. L., MacArthur, H. M. and Yang, S. Y. (1976). Systematic relationships of the four-toed populations of Dipodomys heermanni. J. Mammal. 57: 159-163.
Rathbun, G., Eliason, J. and Siepel, N. (1989). Morro Bay kangaroo rat breeding project interim report number 1. Annual Report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1989: 17 pp.
Rathbun, G., Eliason, J. and Siepel, N. (1990). Morro Bay kangaroo rat breeding project final report. Annual Report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1990: 24 pp.
Risser, R. (1975). A study of the taxonomic status of the Morro Bay kangaroo rat, Dipodomys heermanni morroensis. Spec. Prob. Report, Cal Poly St. Univ. Biol. Sci. / Roest. 9 pp.
Roberts, M and Rall, W. F. (1991). Captive breeding of the endangered Morro Bay kangaroo rat Dipodomys heermanni morroensis. FY 1991 Annual Report. Interagency Agreement 14-16-0001-90546 between U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ventura CA and National Zoological Park, Washington D. C. 77 pp.
Roberts, M and Rall, W. F. (1993). Captive breeding of the endangered Morro Bay kangaroo rat Dipodomys heermanni morroensis. FY 1992 Annual Report. Interagency Agreement 14-16-0001-90546 between U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ventura CA and National Zoological Park, Washington D. C. 85 pp.
Roest, A. I. (1973). Morro Bay kangaroo rat habitat evaluation study. California Dept. Fish and Game, Special Wildlife Investigations Progress Report, W-54-R. 25 pp.
Roest, A. I. (1977). Distribution and population estimate of the Morro Bay kangaroo rat, 1977. Report for Calif. Dept. of Fish and Game, Contract No. S1312. 19 pp.
Roest, A. I. (1979). What's a nice Kangaroo Rat like you doing in a place like this? Animal Kingdom 82(3): 32-36.
Roest, A. I. (1982). Morro Bay kangaroo rat, pp. 233-235. In: Thornback, J. and Jenkins, M. (eds.). The IUCN Mammal Red Data Book, Part 1. Gland, Switzerland: International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
Roest, A. I. (1984). The Morro Bay kangaroo rat: a summary of current knowledge. Poster presented at the 64th annual meeting of the Amer. Soc. of Mammalogists, June 1984, Humboldt State Univ., Arcata, CA.
Roest, A. I. (1988). Morro Bay kangaroo rat captive breeding program. Final Summary Report. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sacramento, CA.
Roest, A. I. (1989). Morro Bay kangaroo rat captive breeding program (The Absolutely Ultimate Final Report). U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sacramento, CA.
Stewart, G. R. (1958). Notes on the Morro Bay kangaroo rat. Senior Project, Cal Poly St. Univ., San Luis Obispo, CA. 49 pp.
Stewart, G. R. and Roest, A. I. (1960). Distribution and habits of kangaroo rats at Morro Bay. J. Mamm. 41(1): 126-129.
Suckling, Kieran, Slack, Rhiwena and Nowicki, Brian. (2004). Extinct and the Endangered Species Act. Centre For Biological Diversity. 63 pp.
Thornback, Jane and Jenkins, Martin (compilers). (1982). The IUCN Mammal Red Data Book. Part 1: Threatened Mammalian Taxa of the Americas and the Australasian Zoogeographic Region (Excluding Cetacea). Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. 516 pp.
U.S. Fish and Wildife Service. (1977). Critical habitat for six endangered species. News release, August 17, 1977.
U.S. Fish and Wildife Service. (1982). Morro Bay rat kangaroo Recovery Plan. Prepared by A. I. Roest for USFWS, Portland, Oregon. 69 pp.
USFWS. 1995. Morro Bay Kangaroo Rat Draft Revised Recovery Plan. United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Portland,
Oregon.
U.S. Fish and Wildife Service. (1999). Morro Bay Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys heermanni morroensis) Draft Revised Recovery Plan. Portland, Oregon. 96 pp.
Villablanca, F. X. (1986). Morro Bay rat kangaroo distribution, status, population estimate, and habitat evaluation throughout their original range: August to September 1984 and April to August 1985. Interim Report, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sacramento, California. 57 pp.
Villablanca, F. X. (1987). Distribution, status, and ecology of Morro Bay kangaroo rats and their habitat. Senior Project. Cal. Poly St. Univ., San Luis Obispo , CA. 83 pp.
Francis X. Villablanca ; Christopher P. Kofron ; Lauralea Oliver ; Michael J. Walgren ; Lisa E. Andreano ; Alexandra Thiel. (2020). Survey for Morro Bay Kangaroo Rat: A Rare Mammal of Uncertain Status. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management. doi: https://doi.org/10.3996/JFWM-20-022
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/cute-rodent-extinct/
http://extinctanimals.proboards.com/thread/7107/dipodomys-morroensis-morro-bay-kangaroo