Life History of the Kangaroo Rat by Charles Taylor Vorhies;Walter P. (Walter Penn) Taylor
page 51 of 75 (68%)
page 51 of 75 (68%)
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chief storage, and undoubtedly the chief food, consists of air-dry
seeds. The character of the storage, the absence of rain for months at a time in some years, and the consequent failure of green succulents show that without doubt _spectabilis_ possesses remarkable power, as to its water requirements, of existing largely if not wholly upon the water derived from air-dry starchy foods, i.e., metabolic water serves it in lieu of drink (Nelson, 1918, 400), this being formed in considerable quantities by oxidation of carbohydrates and fats (Babcock, 1912, 159, 170). During the long dry periods characteristic of southern Arizona, no evidence that the animal seeks a supply of succulent food, as cactus, is found; and if it may go for two, three, or six months without water or succulent food, it is reasonable to suppose that it may do so indefinitely. In the laboratory _spectabilis_ ordinarily does not drink, but rather shows a dislike for getting its nose wet. During the periods of drought the attacks upon the cactuses by other rodents of the same region, as _Lepus_, _Sylvilagus_, _Neotoma_, and _Ammospermophilus_, become increasingly evident. The list of plant species thus far found represented in the storage materials of _spectabilis_ on the Range Reserve is shown in Table 3. TABLE 3.--_List of all plant species found in 22 dens of _Dipodomys spectabilis_ on the United States Range Reserve, near the Santa Rita Mountains, Ariz., with approximate total weights._ GRASSES. Grams. Aristida bromoides (six-weeks needlegrass) 536 Aristida divaricata (Humboldt needlegrass) 9,412 |
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