Discover, June 1st, 1994
FOR ANIMALS JUST FOUR INCHES long that don't squeak, croak, or coo, cheep, bark, or moo, banner-tailed kangaroo rats have no trouble making themselves heard. Their vocal cords are weak but their hind feet are large, and the rats, which live alone in untidy seed-stuffed humps of dirt scattered across the Arizona desert, know how to use those feet. Propping itself up on its front legs, a banner-tailed rat slaps the ground with both hind feet at once, at a rate that can approach 20 beats a second. The sound of a rat drumming on a calm night carries 150 feet aboveground and for a distance of more ...
HighBeam Research, Free Preview: 'Slap that mound. (kangaroo rats communicate by stomping their hind feet)'... Full Membership required for unlimited access. Free 7-day trial.
Subscribers: HighBeam content is only available to HighBeam subscribers. Click the link above for more information.
