Ord's Kangaroo Rat in Idaho

Dipodomys ordii

Native to Idaho S4 Apparently Secure in Idaho

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

IUCN Red List status

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Photo: ecovore · CC BY 4.0Ord's kangaroo rat standing in profile, showing its huge hind feet and long tufted tailPhoto: Juan Cruzado Cortés · CC BY 4.0Ord's kangaroo rat pausing alert at night, whiskers and dark eye lit by flashPhoto: Dominic Alianelli · CC0Ord's kangaroo rat sitting upright in sandy scrub habitatPhoto: Without Borders · CC0Ord's kangaroo rat among low shrubs on open sandPhoto: CK2AZ · CC BY 4.0Ord's kangaroo rat standing on gravel, showing its big ears and hind feet

Ord's Kangaroo Rat in Idaho, by the numbers

Occasional in Idaho 53rd most recorded of 123 mammals logged in Idaho

48 occurrence records

30 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

48 total records count every Idaho occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 42; the monthly chart covers the 42 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Ord's Kangaroo Rat in Idaho

Most sightings fall in July to August.

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

Monthly Idaho records (table)

Month	Records
January	1
February	1
March	3
April	5
May	5
June	2
July	8
August	11
September	2
October	4
November	0
December	0

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

Seasonality

Year-round in Idaho, with recorded sightings peaking in July–August.

Occurrence map

Where Ord's Kangaroo Rat has been recorded in Idaho

42 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

42 Idaho records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monument	iNaturalist records
Snake River Plain	1
City of Rocks National Reserve	1

Protected places with the most ord'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 Idaho

County	Records
Owyhee County	10
Twin Falls County	9
Ada County	4
Jefferson County	4
Butte County	3
Fremont County	3
Custer County	2
Blaine County	1
Clark County	1
Cassia County	1
Lincoln County	1
Elmore County	1
2 other counties	8

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

Ord’s kangaroo rat has 48 Idaho records since 2000, led by Owyhee County with 10 and Twin Falls with 9, sagebrush steppe on and around the Snake River Plain with exactly the loose, sandy desert soil this bipedal seed-hoarder needs for burrowing.

Records stay low through spring and peak in late summer, with 8 in July and 11 in August, a pattern that likely tracks survey timing as much as the kangaroo rat’s own strictly nocturnal activity. Even so, 30 of the 48 records are iNaturalist observations, a surprising share for a fast, nocturnal desert rodent that’s rarely caught on camera.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Full species profile Ord's Kangaroo Rat Dipodomys ordii Size 21–36.5 cm8.3–14.4 in Weight 50 g1.8 oz Lifespan Up to 9.9 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Idaho 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"