Only 127 of the Dulzura kangaroo rat’s 746 California records come from iNaturalist photos. The rest, 721, are specimen and survey entries, the kind agencies collect through nighttime trapping in San Diego County and the southern Peninsular Ranges rather than daylight sightings.
NatureServe ranks the species S3, vulnerable in California, a real conservation signal tied to how much of its coastal sage scrub and chaparral habitat has been lost to development in the southern part of the state.
Records rise sharply in July, hitting 139 after a quieter spring, with a second smaller bump in October, a pattern that more likely reflects when field surveys run than a true double breeding peak. Set against the rest of California’s mammals, this kangaroo rat lands toward the lower-middle of the record comparison, a reasonable spot for a habitat specialist confined mostly to one corner of the state.
Full species profile
