California mammals

Panamint kangaroo rat in California

Dipodomys panamintinus

Native to California SNR Unranked in California

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

AI-generated image: Panamint kangaroo rat in side profile on desert gravel at dusk. No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyAI-generated image: Panamint kangaroo rat standing bipedal on desert gravel at night. No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyAI-generated image: Panamint kangaroo rat foraging near its burrow at night. No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy
AI-generated image No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyPanamint kangaroo rat in side profile on desert gravel at duskAI-generated image No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyPanamint kangaroo rat standing bipedal on desert gravel at nightAI-generated image No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyPanamint kangaroo rat foraging near its burrow at night

Panamint kangaroo rat in California, by the numbers

Occasional in California 99th most recorded of 241 mammals logged in California

3,798 occurrence records
25 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

3,798 total records count every California occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 3,787 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Panamint kangaroo rat in California

Most sightings fall in June to October.

3,787 California occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly California records (table)
MonthRecords
January62
February187
March419
April295
May240
June376
July396
August360
September459
October513
November299
December181

Monthly panamint kangaroo rat occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in California, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in California, with recorded sightings peaking in June–October, with a smaller rise in March.

Occurrence map

Where Panamint kangaroo rat has been recorded in California

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 California records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Mojave National Preserve 172
Owens Peak Wilderness Area 151
Death Valley National Park 150
Kiavah Wilderness Area 60
El Paso Mountains Wilderness Area 18
Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area 16
Kiavah Wilderness 15
Golden Valley Wilderness Area 14

Protected places with the most panamint 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 California

CountyRecords
Kern County 1,574
San Bernardino County 1,018
Inyo County 473
Los Angeles County 356
Mono County 267
Plumas County 55
Tulare County 17
Lassen County 16
Ventura County 16
Riverside County 2
Other localities 4

The complete county distribution, spread across 10 California counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Panamint kangaroo rat reports outline the gravelly fans, desert washes, and open shrublands around Death Valley and the Mojave National Preserve. Joshua Tree lies near the southern part of this desert setting, but loose soil and sparse cover matter more to the animal than a park boundary.

October has the most records, with another broad rise from March through September. Winter reports fall sharply, and November and December are especially quiet. That seasonal shape may combine cooler-weather inactivity with changing survey effort; it doesn’t show that kangaroo rats disappear from occupied desert sites.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

AI-generated image: Panamint kangaroo rat in side profile on desert gravel at dusk. No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy
Full species profile Panamint kangaroo rat Dipodomys panamintinus Size 12 cm4.7 in Weight 57 g2 oz Lifespan Up to 5.4 yr View the full profile

More mammals in California 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"