The California kangaroo rat (Dipodomys californicus ) is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. However, populations are declining, having not fully recovered after the drought in California from 2013 to 2015 destroyed their habitat (the grasslands) and changed it into desert.
The California kangaroo rat is endemic to western North America, found in Northern California and southern Oregon. Its distribution is from the Sierra Nevada foothills to Suisun Bay, and northwards in the California Coast Ranges to the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. California's Kangaroo Mountain was likely named after the California kangaroo rat.
It is an IUCN listed Least Concern species, due to the size of its distribution range.
