California mammals

Chisel-toothed kangaroo rat in California

Dipodomys microps

Native to California SNR Unranked in California

Not listed as nonindigenous in California by USGS NAS; native to its California range.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Chisel-toothed kangaroo rat crouched on gravelly desert soilChisel-toothed kangaroo rat crouched on gravel with its head lowered to the ground
Photo: David Syzdek · CC BY 2.0Chisel-toothed kangaroo rat crouched on gravelly desert soilPhoto: David Syzdek · CC BY 2.0Chisel-toothed kangaroo rat crouched on gravel with its head lowered to the ground

Chisel-toothed kangaroo rat in California, by the numbers

Occasional in California 128th most recorded of 241 mammals logged in California

1,434 occurrence records
5 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

1,434 total records count every California occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 1,416 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Chisel-toothed kangaroo rat in California

Most sightings fall in May to June.

1,416 California occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly California records (table)
MonthRecords
January37
February12
March68
April142
May189
June313
July100
August166
September213
October115
November50
December11

Monthly chisel-toothed kangaroo rat occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in California, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in California, with recorded sightings peaking in May–June, with a smaller rise in September.

Occurrence map

Where Chisel-toothed kangaroo rat has been recorded in California

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 California records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Death Valley National Park 269
Joshua Tree National Park 25
Deep Springs Lake 23
Pahrump Valley Wilderness Area 6
Inyo National Forest 6
El Paso Mountains Wilderness Area 5
Coso Range Wilderness Area 5
Piper Mountain Wilderness Area 3

Protected places with the most chisel-toothed kangaroo rat sightings, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, good spots to look, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total.

Where it's recorded in California

CountyRecords
Inyo County 944
Mono County 150
San Bernardino County 125
Modoc County 81
Kern County 58
Riverside County 25
Lassen County 23
Los Angeles County 13
Other localities 15

The complete county distribution, spread across 8 California counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Chisel-toothed kangaroo rat records in California fit dry scrub, rocky canyons, and sandy or gravelly ground.

Reports center on the Mojave and Colorado deserts, including Death Valley and the Joshua Tree region. They show where people have documented the species, and they don’t rank California’s best habitat.

Reports rise most clearly in Mar–May, Sep. That pattern can reflect animal movements, weather, and observer effort, so it isn’t a population count.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Chisel-toothed kangaroo rat crouched on gravelly desert soil
Full species profile Chisel-toothed kangaroo rat Dipodomys microps Size 15.6 cm6.1 in Weight 55 g1.9 oz Lifespan Up to 3.7 yr View the full profile

More mammals in California in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

  • GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
  • iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
  • NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries
  • USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"