Species-specific footdrumming in kangaroo rats: Dipodomys ingens, D. deserti, D. spectabilis

Abstract

Footdrumming was compared in three allopatric species of kangaroo rat, Dipodomysfrom three habitats. Analysis of footdrumming recordings revealed species-specific patterns of drumming ranging from single thumps to individual footdrumming signatures. The desert kangaroo rat, D. desertidrums single thumps spaced 0.25-0.30 s apart that are sometimes introduced with a short footroll. The giant kangaroo rat, D. ingensdrums long footrolls that can average over 100 drums at 18 drums/s. The banner-tailed kangaroo rat, D. spectabilisdrums three to 38 footdrums in a footroll combined into sequences of two to 12 footrolls at a rate of 17 drums/s. In playback tests, all three species stood in alert postures and entered the burrow in response to footdrumming of their own and the other species. The rats also responded in species-specific ways. Dipodomys spectabilisdrummed to its own species' footdrumming, but not to playbacks of the single drums of D. desertiInstead of footdrumming to playbacks of its own species, D. deserti approached the speaker more frequently than did either of the other two species. Dipodomys ingens footdrummed equally to all footdrumming playbacks. The species' differences reflect differences in social tolerance and spacing. Dipodomys deserti rarely engages in footdrumming exchanges and chases visitors from the burrow. Dipodomys spectabilis engages in frequent footdrumming exchanges and some chases, and D. ingens seems to tolerate close neighbours and footdrums periodically.Copyright 1997 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour1997The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour