Kangaroo rats Temporal range: Late Pliocene - Recent
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Heteromyidae
Subfamily:	Dipodomyinae
Genus:	Dipodomys Gray, 1841
Species
Dipodomys agilis Dipodomys californicus Dipodomys compactus Dipodomys deserti Dipodomys elator Dipodomys gravipes Dipodomys heermanni Dipodomys ingens Dipodomys merriami Dipodomys microps Dipodomys nelsoni Dipodomys nitratoides Dipodomys ordii Dipodomys panamintinus Dipodomys phillipsii Dipodomys simulans Dipodomys spectabilis Dipodomys stephensi Dipodomys venustus

Kangaroo rats, genus Dipodomys, are small rodents native to North America. The common name derives from their bipedal form: as they hop in a manner similar to the much larger kangaroo, although they are not related. It has been noted that they are not properly characterized as "rats" at all.

Description[link]

Kangaroo rats are six-toed endotherms with large hind legs, small front legs and relatively large heads. Adults typically weigh between 70-170 g.^[1] The tails of kangaroo rats are longer than both their bodies and their heads. Another notable feature of kangaroo rats are their fur lined cheek pouches which are used for storing food. The coloration of kangaroo rats varies from cinnamon buff to dark gray, depending on the species.^[2] There is also some variation in length with one of the largest species, the Banner-tail kangaroo rat being six inches in body length and a tail length of eight inches.^[2] Sexual dimorphism exists in all species, with males being larger than females.

Locomotion[link]

Kangaroo rats stay in one place bipedally. The Merriam kangaroo rat can leap 7-8 feet and quickly change its direction when landing. The Banner-tailed kangaroo rat can move rapidly which minimizes energy costs and predation risks.^[3] It will also go into a “move- freeze” mode which may reduce predation at night.

Ecology[link]

Range and habitat[link]

Kangaroo rats live in arid and semi-arid areas particularly on sandy or soft soils^[2] which are suitable for burrowing. They can, however, vary in both geographic range and habitat. In particular, the Merriam kangaroo rat ranges through Southern California, Utah, Southwest New Mexico, Arizona, and northern Mexico and live in areas of low rainfall and humidity, and high summer temperature and evaporation rates.^[4] They can be found in areas of various elevations ranging from below sea level to about 4500 feet.^[4] The Merriam kangaroo rat lives in stony soils including clays gravel and rocks, which is harder than soils preferred by some other species like the Banner-tail kangaroo rat.^[2] Merriam kangaroo rats live in hot and dry areas, conserve water, and only use metabolic sources.^[5] They survive by breaking down of the seeds they eat with their metabolism and not needing to drink water. They can also conserve water by lowering their metabolic rate, which reduces loss of water through their skin and respiratory system.^[5]

The Banner-tailed kangaroo rat ranges from Northeastern Arizona southward to Aguascalientes and San Luis Posi, Mexico and from Arizona to Western Texas. They generally live in grasslands and scrublands. Banner-tailed kangaroo rats live in dry areas but have more water available to them than Merriam kangaroo rats. All kangaroo rat species are sensitive to extreme temperatures and remain in their burrows during rain storms and other forms of inclement weather.^[2] Kangaroo rats are preyed on by coyotes, foxes, badgers, weasels, owls, and snakes.

Food and foraging[link]

Kangaroo rats are primarily seed eaters.^[6] They will, however, sometimes eat vegetation at some times of the year and some insects.^[2] They have been observed storing the seeds of mesquite, creosote, bush, purslane, ocotillo and grama grass in their cheek pouches. Kangaroo rat will store extra seeds in seed caches.^[4] This caching behavior has an impact on the rangeland and croplands where the animals live.^[2] Kangaroo rats must harvest as much seeds as possible in as little time as possible.^[6] They need to decrease the time away from their burrows as they are cool and dry. In addition, being away from their burrows also makes them vulnerable to predators.^[6]

When on foraging trips, kangaroo rats hoard the seeds that they find. It is important for a kangaroo rat to encounter more food items than are consumed, at least at one point in the year, as well as defend or rediscover food caches and remain within the same areas long enough to utilize food resources.^[3] Different species of kangaroo rat may have different seed caching strategies to coexist with each other, as is the case for the Banner-tailed kangaroo rat and the Merriam kangaroo rat which have overlapping ranges.^[1] Merriam kangaroo rats scatterhoard small clumps of seeds in many small holes.^[7] This is done close to the burrow and travel costs are minimized and harvest rates are maximized.^[7] Banner-tailed kangaroo rats larderhoard on large mounds.^[7] This could give them extra time and energy and decrease the risk of predation. They also spend less time on the surface digging small caches.

Lifestyle[link]

Kangaroo rats inhabit overlapping home ranges. These home ranges tend to be small with much activities within 200-300 ft and rarely 600 ft.^[2] Home range size can vary within species with Merriam kangaroo rats having larger home ranges than Banner-tailed kangaroo rats. Recently weaned kangaroo rats move into new areas not occupied by adults. Within its home range, a kangaroo rat has a defended territory consisting of its burrowing system.

Burrow system[link]

Kangaroo rats live in complex burrow systems. The burrows have separate chambers for specific proposes like sleeping, living and food storage.^[2] The spacing of the burrows depends on the number of kangaroo rats and the abundance of food. Kangaroo rats also live in colonies that range from six to several hundred dens.^[4] The burrow of a kangaroo rat is important in providing protection from the harsh desert environment. To maintain a constant temperature and relative humidity in their burrows, kangaroo rats plug the entrances with soil during the day.^[2] When the outside temperature is too hot, a kangaroo rat stays in its cool, humid burrow and leaves it only at night.^[5] To provide large amounts of moisture through respiration when sleeping, a kangaroo rat buries its nose in its fur to accumulate a small pocket of moist air.^[5] The burrows of Merriam kangaroo rats are simpler and shallower than those of Banner-tailed kangaroo rats. Banner-tailed kangaroo rats also mate in their burrows, unlike Merriam kangaroo rats.

Social interactions[link]

Kangaroo rats are generally solitary animals with little to no social organization. Kangaroos rats do sometime cluster together in some feeding situations. Groups of kangaroo rats that do exist are aggregations and colonies.^[2] There appears to be a dominance hierarchy among kangaroo rats with males competing for access to females.^[8] Male kangaroo rats are generally more aggressive than females and are more dominant over them. Females are more tolerant of each other than males are and have more non-aggressive interactions. This is likely become the home ranges of females overlap less than the home ranges of males.^[8] There appears to be linear dominance hierarchies among males but it is not known if this is the case for females.^[8] Winners of aggressive encounters appear to be the most active ones.

Mating and reproduction[link]

Kangaroo rats have a promiscuous mating system. Their reproductive output is highest in summer following high rainfalls.^[9]

Taxonomy[link]

• Family Heteromydae
  • Subfamily Dipodomyinae
    • Dipodomys agilis (Agile kangaroo rat)
    • Dipodomys californicus (California kangaroo rat)
    • Dipodomys compactus (Gulf Coast kangaroo rat)
    • Dipodomys deserti (Desert kangaroo rat)
    • Dipodomys elator (Texas kangaroo rat)
    • Dipodomys gravipes (San Quintin kangaroo rat)
    • Dipodomys heermanni (Heerman's kangaroo rat)
    • Dipodomys ingens (Giant kangaroo rat)
    • Dipodomys merriami (Merriam's kangaroo rat)
    • Dipodomys microps (Chisel-toothed kangaroo rat)
    • Dipodomys nelsoni (Nelson's kangaroo rat)
    • Dipodomys nitratoides (Fresno kangaroo rat)
    • Dipodomys ordii (Ord's kangaroo rat)
    • Dipodomys panamintinus (Panamint kangaroo rat)
    • Dipodomys phillipsii (Phillip's kangaroo rat)
    • Dipodomys simulans (Dulzura Kangaroo Rat)
    • Dipodomys spectabilis (Banner-tailed kangaroo rat)
    • Dipodomys stephensi (Stephens' kangaroo rat)
    • Dipodomys venustus (Narrow-faced kangaroo rat)

References[link]

• Patton, J. L. 2005. Family Heteromyidae. Pp. 844-858 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.

External links[link]

• Life History of the Kangaroo Rat at Project Gutenberg--United States Department of Agriculture Bulletin No. 1091, from September 1922
• ARKive.org

See also[link]

• Kangaroo mouse
• Springhare

Eddie August Henry Schneider
250px Schneider circa 1930
Born	(1911-10-20)October 20, 1911 Manhattan
Died	December 23, 1940(1940-12-23) (aged 29) Brooklyn
Cause of death	Mid-air collision
Resting place	Fairview Cemetery
Nationality	American
Education	William L. Dickinson High School
Occupation	Aviator
Known for	Transcontinental record National Air Tour Great Lakes Trophy Yankee Squadron
Height	5-foot, 8 inches (68 inches)
Weight	160 pounds (73 kg)
Title	Junior transcontinental airspeed record holder
Predecessor	Frank Goldsborough
Successor	Robert Nietzel Buck
Religion	Lutheran
Spouse	Gretchen Frances Hahnen (1902–1986) (m. 1934–1940) «start: (1934-06-02)–end+1: (1941)»"Marriage: Gretchen Frances Hahnen (1902–1986) to Eddie August Schneider" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Eddie_August_Schneider)
Parents	Emil August Schneider (1886–1955) Inga Karoline Pedersen (1882–1927)
Signature

Eddie August Henry Schneider^[1][2] (October 20, 1911 – December 23, 1940) set three transcontinental airspeed records for pilots under the age of twenty-one in 1930.^[3] His plane was a Cessna Model AW with a Warner-Scarab engine, one of only 48 built, that he called "The Kangaroo".^[4][5] He set the east-to-west, then the west-to-east, and the combined round trip record.^[6][7][8] He was the youngest certificated pilot in the United States, and the youngest certified airplane mechanic.^[9] He was a pilot in the Spanish Civil War in the Yankee Squadron.^[10][11] He died in an airplane crash in 1940 while training another pilot, when a US Navy bomber clipped his plane's tail at Floyd Bennett Field.^[12][13][14]

Birth and family[link]

Eddie Schneider was born in 1911 at 2nd Avenue and 17th Street in Manhattan in New York. His father was Emil August Schneider (1886–1955), a banker and stock broker, born in Bielefeld, Germany. His mother was Inga Karoline Eldora Pedersen (1882–1927), who was born in Farsund, Norway.^[15] Eddie had one full sibling: Alice Violetta Schneider (1913–2002) who married John Harms (1905–1985).^{[1][8][16][17]}

Early years[link]

The family moved from Manhattan to Red Bank, New Jersey, and then they moved to Jersey City, New Jersey by 1920.^[18] Eddie attended William L. Dickinson High School and dropped out of school in 1926, at age 15 to go to work as a plane mechanic at Roosevelt Field in Hempstead, Long Island.^[13] In 1927 his mother died, then, Eddie and his parents visited Bielefeld, Germany and Farsund, Norway to visit with relatives. In Germany Eddie went on a plane ride and then aviation became his obsession.^[8] In 1928–1929 he trained at Roosevelt Field on Long Island and became the youngest person in the United States to receive a commercial pilot certificate.^[19] That same year he also received a mechanics certificate, becoming the youngest certificated airplane mechanic in New York.^[12] In April 1930 Eddie was living in Hempstead, Long Island with Carl Schneider (1898-?) who was also working as a mechanic.^[20] Eddie flew a red Cessna monoplane with tail number C9092.

Transcontinental air speed record[link]

Eddie reported that he intended to fly to the Pacific coast and back in August 1930.^[21] On August 25, 1930 he set the round-trip transcontinental air speed record for pilots under the age of twenty-one years in his Cessna using a Warner Scarab engine. He flew from Westfield, New Jersey on August 14, 1930 to Los Angeles, California in 4 days with a combined flying time of 29 hours and 55 minutes. He lowered the East to West record by 4 hours and 22 minutes. He then made the return trip from Los Angeles to Roosevelt Airfield in New York in 27 hours and 19 minutes, lowering the West to East record by 1 hour and 36 minutes.^[7] His total elapsed time for the round trip was 57 hours and 14 minutes, breaking the preceding record for the round trip. Frank Herbert Goldsborough held the previous record which was 62 hours and 58 minutes. When Eddie landed in New York on August 25, 1930, his first words were to his father: "Hello Pop, I made it."^[22] He was carrying letters from the Mayor John Clinton Porter of Los Angeles, to Mayor Frank Hague of Jersey City.^[23] Combined he set three records.^[3]

National Air Tours[link]

After setting the transcontinental speed record he entered in the 1930 Ford National Reliability Air Tour in Chicago, which ran from August 23, 1930 to September 1, 1930. He won the Great Lakes Trophy. Nancy Hopkins also flew in the tour that year.^[24] In 1931 Eddie participated in, what was the last Ford National Reliability Air Tour, in his Cessna. A defect in his engine forced a landing while flying over a mountainous section of Kentucky. He made a forced landing in a corn patch on the side of the mountain. A new engine was sent to him and after a difficult takeoff, he went on to win first place for single engine aircraft, and finished third overall.^{[13][25][26][27]}

Time (magazine) wrote:

Sensation of the meet was the youngster Eddie Schneider, 19, who fell into last place by a forced landing of his Cessna and a three-day delay in Kentucky, then fought his way back to finish third, ahead of all other light planes.^[28]

During one of the National Air Tours, Schneider had taken off in his Cessna with the Warner Scarab engine, from Chicago bound for the balloon races in Cleveland. He saw the crowd scatter below, looked up and saw the 40-foot left wing of a twenty passenger Burnelli transport plane directly over him. Passengers in the Burnelli scrambled to the other side of the cabin to tilt the wing back up. Schneider sent his plane diving just as the Burnelli's wing scraped his planes wing. A crash was averted by his dip. The officials said his quick action in dipping his plane close to the ground and then pulling clear of the grandstand had probably averted the most serious accident in the races.^[8]

Marriage[link]

In 1932 he went to work for the Hoover Air League as co-director of the Aviation Division.^[29] He married Gretchen Frances Hahnen (1902–1986) in New York City on June 2, 1934 at the New York Municipal Building in Manhattan.^[30] Gretchen was the daughter of Zora Montgomery Courtney (1882–1962) and was originally from Peoria, Illinois. Her father was Herme Francis Hahnen from Des Moines, Iowa. She was a member the Jersey City Young Woman's Christian Association (YWCA) and was director of the Aviation Club of The Jersey Journal, and the editor of the Junior Club Magazine. Eddie met her at an aviation function.^[9][31] They did not have any children.

Jersey City Airport[link]

Starting on January 1, 1935 Eddie leased the Jersey City Airport and ran his flying school from there until the field was converted into a sports stadium using WPA money.^[32][33] Eddie was taking off in a Travel Air three-seat, open-cockpit biplane with his student, Fred Weigel (1904–1990), when the motor died. From an altitude of 100 feet they crashed into Newark Bay, but were unhurt and were able to walk ashore.^[8][13][32] He also taught Herbert Sargent to fly with just 55 minutes in lessons.^[34]

Spanish Civil War[link]

In 1936, Eddie left for Spain to fly in the Yankee Squadron for the Spanish Loyalists in the Spanish Civil War with Frederic Ives Lord, Bertrand Blanchard Acosta, and Gordon Berry. They were recruited by a lawyer in New York City.^[19]Time magazine wrote on December 21, 1936:

Hilariously celebrating in the ship's bar of the Normandie with their first advance pay checks from Spain's Radical Government, six able U.S. aviators were en route last week for Madrid to join Bert Acosta, pilot of Admiral Byrd's transatlantic flight, in doing battle against Generalissimo Francisco Franco's White planes.^[35]

He was living at 50 Jones Street in Jersey City at the time he was recruited.^[36] He was promised he would be paid $1,500 ($24.3 thousand today) each month and given a bonus of $1,000 ($16.2 thousand today) for every rebel plane he shot down.^[35]

Another American flyer, Hilaire du Berrier, was already is Spain by time they arrived. Frederic Ives Lord became their squadron commander, and he tried to convince the Loyalist authorities that the planes they were given were too dilapidated to fly. When the commandant insisted that the planes were safe, Lord took him up for a test flight, and at two thousand feet up one of the four wings broke off. The commandant motioned Lord to climb higher so they could escape by using their parachutes. Lord wanted to try to land with the remaining lower wings intact. He landed the plane safely but he was arrested and was going to be shot. The airplane mechanics intervened and explained that his loss of the wing was accidental, not intentional. Things became so difficult and dangerous for the Americans that each time one of them landed they pulled out their pistols in case someone was coming to arrest them. They went to Valencia, Spain to complain to the air ministry, but the ministry was only interested in reading to the flyers the reports on Bertrand Blanchard Acosta and his heavy drinking. Berry, Lord, Acosta and Schneider decided it was time to demobilize and return to the United States. Acosta, Schneider and Lord planned to escape from Bilbao to Biarritz, France by motorboat after they had been refused a promised Christmas leave. Their plan was discovered and the pilot of their boat was arrested and executed. The pilots were then jailed for 18 hours. ^[37]

On returning to New York City in January 1937, Schneider claimed he was never paid in full. Spain claimed that they were paid in full, and were not owed any money.^[38] Others who flew for the loyalists included: Bert Acosta, Gordon Berry, and Frederic Ives Lord.^[39][40] When he returned he was questioned by Chief Assistant United States Attorney, John F. Dailey on January 15, 1937 in New York. Eddie's lawyer was Colonel Lewis Landes. On January 20, 1937, Eddie, Bert, and Gordon flew to Washington, D.C. and had to testify again. When talking to reporters Eddie said: "I was broke, hungry, jobless ... yet despite the fact that all three of us are old-time aviators who did our part for the development of the industry, we were left out in the cold in the Administration’s program of job making. Can you blame us for accepting the lucrative Spanish offer?" He later said "This was a mess ... and there was always that never-ending jockeying for the power among the factions to contend with, it got to the point where we did not know who we were fighting and why, and you can say that we are damn glad to be back." ^[41] The flyers had their passports confiscated, and they were to be returned when they attested that they had never forsworn allegiance to America.^[42]

Middle years[link]

In 1938 Eddie stood at 5-foot, 8 inches (68 inches) and weighed 160 pounds (73 kg).^[43] He had blue eyes and blond hair, and he was living at 38 Broadway in Manhattan. Eddie began work for American Airlines at Newark Airport in New Jersey, he then moved to Jackson Heights, Queens on Long Island, when the American Airlines eastern terminal had moved to LaGuardia Airport.^[13] Eddie registered for the draft on October 16, 1940 when he was living at 3250 73rd Street in Jackson Heights, Queens in New York. ^[8][44]

Death[link]

On December 23, 1940, around 1:25 pm, Eddie was killed in an accident at Floyd Bennett Field at age 29,^[45] while training George Wilson Herzog (1903–1940).^[14][46] They were flying at about 600 feet, about to land, when Navy pilot Kenneth A. Kuehner, age 25, of Minister, Ohio struck the tail assembly of Eddie's Piper Cub. Eddie's plane went into a spin and crashed into Deep Creek, just off of Flatbush Avenue. Both Herzog and Schneider were dead at the scene of impact. The bodies were taken to King's County Hospital, and Eddie's cause of death was listed as "crushed chest & abdomen; hemothorax & hemoperitoneum in aeroplane crash".^[47] The accident was investigated by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) and Kuehner was ruled at fault for flying too low and failing to observe the traffic in front of him. The air traffic controllers were also chastised.^[48][49] Eddie was buried at Fairview Cemetery in Fairview, New Jersey, Bert Acosta attended the funeral.^[50]

Widow[link]

In 1941 Gretchen appealed to Congress to pay for the funeral, which totaled $365.^[51] On February 13, 1942 Gretchen again appealed to Congress for financial relief with HR 5290.^[52] Gretchen married Herbert Gray and after they divorced she married Grant A. Black (1913–1976) who was from Michigan, and they lived in Fort Worth, Texas and later Goldsboro, North Carolina. Around 1953–1954 Gretchen donated Schneider's books to the Smithsonian Institution and they are now housed at the National Air and Space Museum.^[53] In 1961 she was given an award by the Early Fliers Club of Long Island.^[54] She died under the name of "Gretchen Black" in her home town of Des Moines, Iowa.

Aircraft[link]

• "The Kangaroo"^[4][55]

Major air races[link]

• 1930 Ford National Reliability Air Tour (National Air Tour) Detroit, Michigan; Plane number 21. Great Lakes Trophy, and eighth place overall.^[55]
• 1931 Ford National Reliability Air Tour (National Air Tour) Detroit, Michigan; Plane number 17. First place for single engine planes, third place overall.^[27]

Junior transcontinental air speed record holders[link]

• 1930 Frank Herbert Goldsborough^[56]
• 1930 Eddie August Schneider^[8]
• 1930 Robert Nietzel Buck^[57]

Timeline[link]

1930 transcontinental itinerary[link]

See also[link]

• List of fatalities from aviation accidents
• 1930 in aviation
• 1940 in aviation

Archive[link]

References and notes[link]

External links[link]

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