Nevada mammals

Merriam's Kangaroo Rat in Nevada

Dipodomys merriami

Native to Nevada S5 Secure in Nevada

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

Merriam's kangaroo rat on desert sand at nightMerriam's kangaroo rat pausing on desert soil at nightMerriam's kangaroo rat beside desert shrubsMerriam's kangaroo rat in sparse desert coverMerriam's kangaroo rat crouched on sandy desert ground
Photo: Bill Levine · CC BY 4.0Merriam's kangaroo rat on desert sand at nightPhoto: Marc Whitaker · CC BY 4.0Merriam's kangaroo rat pausing on desert soil at nightPhoto: Kyle Nessen · CC0Merriam's kangaroo rat beside desert shrubsPhoto: Nick Loveland · CC0Merriam's kangaroo rat in sparse desert coverPhoto: Cameron · CC BY 4.0Merriam's kangaroo rat crouched on sandy desert ground

Merriam's Kangaroo Rat in Nevada, by the numbers

Common in Nevada 14th most recorded of 142 mammals logged in Nevada

2,417 occurrence records
81 with iNaturalist photos
Jun 1, 2026 Last seen in Nevada

Records from 2000–2026.

2,417 total records count every Nevada occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 2,389 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Merriam's Kangaroo Rat in Nevada

Most sightings fall in May.

2,389 Nevada occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly Nevada records (table)
MonthRecords
January134
February66
March225
April189
May465
June270
July294
August226
September297
October143
November41
December39

Monthly merriam's kangaroo rat occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Nevada, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Nevada, with recorded sightings peaking in May, with a smaller rise in July and September.

Occurrence map

Where Merriam's Kangaroo Rat has been recorded in Nevada

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 Nevada records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Gold Butte National Monument 65
Lake Mead National Recreation Area 26
Death Valley National Park 22
Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument 11
Big Rocks Wilderness Area 6
Valley of Fire State Park 4
Black Rock Desert Wilderness Area 3
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area 1

Protected places with the most merriam's 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 Nevada

CountyRecords
Nye County 627
Clark County 601
Churchill County 270
Lincoln County 254
Washoe County 188
Humboldt County 106
Lyon County 103
Esmeralda County 90
Pershing County 78
Mineral County 66
Storey County 7
White Pine County 1
2 other counties 26

The complete county distribution, spread across 14 Nevada counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Nevada records for the merriams kangaroo rat are anchored by Gold Butte National Monument and Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. They show where people have reported it, not how many animals live there.

These sites place the Nevada record pattern firmly in the state’s southern desert country. The protected lands also span springs, canyons, and open basin terrain. The monthly pattern is fairly spread out rather than confined to one Nevada season. It tracks observer records and shouldn’t be read as a population count.

The file combines 81 research-grade iNaturalist records and 2,407 GBIF records. Those 2,488 records measure documented encounters, not Nevada’s population size. It’s native to Nevada. Nevada doesn’t specifically list it under the state’s conservation framework, and the IUCN lists it as Least Concern.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Merriam's kangaroo rat on desert sand at night
Full species profile Merriam's Kangaroo Rat Dipodomys merriami Size 21–28 cm8.3–11 in Weight 33–53 g1.2–1.9 oz Lifespan 2 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Nevada 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"