Merriam’s kangaroo rat reports trace open, loose-soiled country from the Organ Mountains area north toward Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge. The link isn’t the mountains themselves, but the desert flats and sparse grassland around them.
April through June carries the main reporting rise, followed by a smaller October return. Night activity and uneven access make this small mammal easy to miss, so the pattern shouldn’t be treated as a population calendar. Rocky uplands can interrupt the record even between suitable basins.
Full species profile
