Ord's Kangaroo Rat in Oklahoma

Dipodomys ordii

Native to Oklahoma SNR Unranked in Oklahoma

Not listed as nonindigenous in Oklahoma by USGS NAS; native to its Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma, by the numbers

Common in Oklahoma 20th most recorded of 120 mammals logged in Oklahoma

271 occurrence records

15 with iNaturalist photos

Jun 4, 2026 Last seen in Oklahoma

Records from 2000–2026.

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

Most sightings fall in September.

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

Monthly Oklahoma records (table)

Month	Records
January	1
February	9
March	1
April	18
May	42
June	14
July	21
August	9
September	123
October	29
November	0
December	4

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

Seasonality

Year-round in Oklahoma, with recorded sightings peaking in September.

Occurrence map

Where Ord's Kangaroo Rat has been recorded in Oklahoma

271 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

271 Oklahoma records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monument	iNaturalist records
Packsaddle Wildlife Management Area	4
CLO Lands	2

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 Oklahoma

County	Records
Beaver County	87
Woodward County	33
Harmon County	32
Tillman County	32
Greer County	27
Jackson County	25
Cotton County	10
Ellis County	7
Cimarron County	6
Logan County	3
Kingfisher County	3
Kiowa County	2
3 other counties	4

The complete county distribution, spread across 15 Oklahoma 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 belongs to the sandy, sparsely vegetated country of western Oklahoma and the Panhandle. Black Mesa State Park and the region around Optima National Wildlife Refuge provide the right landscape, but this nocturnal seed-eater usually reveals itself through paired tracks, burrows, or a quick bounding movement across a quiet road.

Records occur year-round and peak in May and September. Avoid spotlighting animals for long periods or walking over burrow systems in fragile sandy ground.

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 Oklahoma 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"