Kangaroo Rat Evolution
Storyboard Text
- The desert sure is a hot and dry place guys!
- Sure is pops!
- Guys, there's barely water falling from the sky out here!
- Yeah, that sucks! There has to be something we can do about it or we are screwed!
- Wait a minute, don't these seeds have some water in them?
- Between 5.3 and 11.2 million years ago, kangaroo rats, who are of the genus Dipodomys, began to roam the Earth. Native to North America, these rodents tended to live in arid areas such as deserts.
- You're so smart dad! We would have gone extinct if you wouldn't have found this awesome way to get water!
- I don't think this will fully get rid of the problem. There has to be another way...
- As time passed by, the kangaroo rats began to realize that there were many droughts in the deserts and that rain did not come often. Furthermore, there were very few water sources. They knew they had to figure something out or they would be in danger of extinction.
- Hey guys! Ignore that pee puddle behind me. Anyway, I just realized that we can release less water every time we need to pee to save some of it!
- Wow! Great job son! You're so smart!
- Kangaroo rats began to realize that the seeds that they were eating, through a process known as metabolic oxidation, could supply them with the water that they needed.
- Cool, but I don't think we'll be needing that any more.
- Look, there's water!
- Slowly, the kangaroo rats began to realize that some of the seeds that were available to them had water. Those kangaroo rats began to thrive, while the others who could not adapt slowly died out due to natural selection. However, there was still a need to conserve as much water as possible.
- Oh, son you don't have to thank me so much. I was just doing it for the family.
- To conserve the water they were intaking, kangaroo rats began to produce very concentrated urine in order to reduce the amount of water being released.
- Over time, kangaroo rats managed to adapt to their harsh environment which consisted of a lack of water. They managed to get the water they needed from the seeds they ate and managed to reduce the amount of water wasted in their urine by making it more concentrated. Today, many kangaroo rats can live perfectly, without ever having to take a sip of water.
- Kangaroo rats that could not adapt.
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