Heritage Community Foundation Presents
Alberta Online Encyclopedia
Top Left of Navigation Bar The Nature of Alberta Logo
Species at Risk in AlbertaView our site layout to navigate to specific areasSearch our site for informationObtain help for navigating our sitePlease emails us your questions and comments!View our partners that helped us in this project

Ecosystems OverviewEnvironmental IssuesGeological History of AlbertaAlberta's Natural RegionsAdditional Resources
Visit Alberta Source!
Visit the Heritage Community Foundation
Visit Canada's Digital Collections

Ord's Kangaroo Rat

Limiting Factors

Ord's Kangaroo RatIn Alberta, Ord's Kangaroo Rats appear to be limited by the availability of their preferred habitat, sparsely-vegetated sandhills. This habitat is available mainly in the sand hill areas of southeastern Alberta. Over time, eroding sand slowly stabilizes due to the encroachment of vegetation. This encroachment occurs naturally in response to climate change, but has historically been counterbalanced by natural disturbance from fires and Bison that made sandy areas prone to erosion. With the suppression of fire and change in grazing habits since human settlement, there has been little natural disturbance of prairie communities. Furthermore, erosion is discouraged along roadways and agricultural land. For example, hay bales are often placed over eroding sand so as to rapidly increase deep-rooting vegetative cover. Collectively, these practices have probably accelerated vegetation encroachment in recent years, and decreased the amount of natural habitat available to Kangaroo Rats.

When preferred habitat is unavailable, Kangaroo Rats occupy alternative, sparsely-vegetated habitats such as roads, trails, fireguards, fallow cropland, and intensely-grazed pastures. The consequences of occupying alternative habitats have not yet been determined. However, some of the implications may include increased mortality and susceptibility to parasitism. 

Reprinted from Alberta Wildlife Status Report No. 4 (1997), with permission from Alberta Sustainable Resource Development.

Albertasource.ca | Contact Us | Partnerships
            For more on the natural history of Alberta, visit Peel’s Prairie Provinces.
Copyright © Heritage Community Foundation All Rights Reserved