| The San Bernardino kangaroo rat (Dipodomys merriami parvus) was once common in the floodplains of San Bernardino, Menifee and San Jacinto Valleys. Currently, 96% of their previous habitat has been developed for agricultural and urban uses. At this time, San Bernardino kangaroo rats are only found in small areas of the San Jacinto River, Santa Ana River, and Cajon and Lytle Creeks. Detecting the presence and absence of this species is largely conducted with live trapping methods however the use of less invasive techniques may be beneficial. We modified the existing technique of PVC pipe track tubes which use non-toxic ink and paper to identify types of small mammals from their foot prints. We demonstrated the use of these track tubes by San Bernardino kangaroo rats and that the foot prints of these species can be distinguished from other species with in the same habitat. Previously track tubes have been used with quadrupedal species but our work shows that they are also appropriate for small bipedal species.
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