Preferential Burrow Entrance Placement in the Dulzura Kangaroo Rat, Dipodomys simulans

Abstract

This study examined burrow location preferences in the Dulzura kan- <br /><br />garoo rat, Dipodomys simulans. Burrow entrances known to be occupied by in- <br /><br />dividual kangaroo rats on two experimental sites were identified and the distances <br /><br />to the nearest shrub were determined. These data were then compared to a dis- <br /><br />tribution of random points delineated on those same plots to test whether this <br /><br />species appears to have a spatial preference for burrow placement in relation to <br /><br />vegetative cover. The results suggest that this species prefers to locate its burrow <br /><br />entrances in the open, but within 2 m of vegetative cover.