kangaroo rat

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noun

any of various small jumping rodents of the family Heteromyidae, of Mexico and the western U.S.

an Australian desert rodent of the genus Notomys.

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Origin of kangaroo rat

First recorded in 1780–90

Words nearby kangaroo rat

kangaroo court, kangaroo dog, kangaroo grass, Kangaroo Island, kangaroo paw, kangaroo rat, kangaroo vine, Kangchenjunga, Kang-de, Kangha, K'ang Hsi

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use kangaroo rat in a sentence

In the Ord kangaroo rat, the bulk of the liver lies on the right side of the body cavity.
Speciation in the Kangaroo Rat, Dipodomys ordii|Henry W. Setzer
Accounts of these four mammals and of a previously unnamed subspecies of kangaroo rat on Mustang Island, Texas, follow.
Mammals Obtained by Dr. Curt von Wedel from the Barrier Beach of Tamaulipas, Mexico|E. Raymond Hall
The ground squirrel and kangaroo rat were found by us on only the sandy areas where there were xerophitic shrubs.
Mammals Obtained by Dr. Curt von Wedel from the Barrier Beach of Tamaulipas, Mexico|E. Raymond Hall
The only animal that we saw during our excursion was a small kangaroo-rat; it was skipping about the rocks near the sea.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia|Phillip Parker King

And why stop at the kangaroo-rat—the first mammal to bring forth its young alive?
War Letters of a Public-School Boy|Paul Jones.

British Dictionary definitions for kangaroo rat

kangaroo rat

noun

any small leaping rodent of the genus Dipodomys, related to the squirrels and inhabiting desert regions of North America, having a stocky body and very long hind legs and tails: family Heteromyidae

Also called: kangaroo mouse any of several leaping murine rodents of the Australian genus Notomys

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012