Populations of the short-nosed kangaroo rat (Dipodomys nitrotoides brevinosus) have declined because of habitat degradation and loss. One of the few areas where it was believed secure from these threats was the Carrizo Plain, San Luis Obispo county, California. However, at that location the numbers of short-nosed kangaroo rats have drastically declined and extant colonies are vulnerable to demographic and environmental stochasticities. Colonies are ephemeral, sex-biased and have little chance of recolonization if they become locally extinct. Surveys to locate unknown extant colonies in the Temblor mountains are recommended.
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