Oklahoma mammals

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

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Ord's kangaroo rat standing in profile, showing its huge hind feet and long tufted tailOrd's kangaroo rat pausing alert at night, whiskers and dark eye lit by flashOrd's kangaroo rat sitting upright in sandy scrub habitatOrd's kangaroo rat among low shrubs on open sandOrd's kangaroo rat standing on gravel, showing its big ears and hind feet
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 24th most recorded of 120 mammals logged in Oklahoma

1,905 occurrence records
14 with iNaturalist photos
Jun 4, 2026 Last seen in Oklahoma

Records from 2000–2026.

1,905 total records count every Oklahoma occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 1,880 records with a full observation date.

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

Most sightings fall in May to September.

1,880 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)
MonthRecords
January40
February119
March103
April121
May227
June216
July318
August248
September207
October110
November122
December49

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

Seasonality

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

Occurrence map

Where Ord's Kangaroo Rat has been recorded in Oklahoma

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 Oklahoma records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Little Sahara State Park 49
CLO Lands 43
Oliver's Woods 7
Packsaddle Wildlife Management Area 3
Beaver River Wildlife Management Area 1
Black Mesa State Park & Nature Preserve 1
Copan Wildlife Management Area 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 Oklahoma

CountyRecords
Cleveland County 519
Woods County 189
McClain County 166
Canadian County 153
Beaver County 116
Dewey County 84
Roger Mills County 76
Tillman County 69
Jackson County 66
Cimarron County 64
Grant County 46
Woodward County 45
17 other counties 312

The complete county distribution, spread across 29 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.

Ord's kangaroo rat standing in profile, showing its huge hind feet and long tufted tail
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"