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The case of the Stephens' kangaroo rat is being called a conservation success

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

We have an update now on the survival of a cute, little rat. A species of kangaroo rat has made it off the endangered species list.

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

Its formal name is the nocturnal Stephens' kangaroo rat - small enough to fit in your palm, and its name suggests exactly what it looks like. It has oversized hind legs like a kangaroo.

DEBRA SHIER: Their bipedal body stance allows them to ricochet sideways and backwards and even launch themselves into the air a few feet when they're defending themselves from predators.

MARTÍNEZ: Debra Shier is associate director of Recovery Ecology at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. The rodent is part of the ecosystem in parts of Southern California.

SHIER: They're primary seed dispersers of the native plants. They're prey for many species of snakes and small mammals, like weasels, and also owls.

INSKEEP: Of course, you need wildland to be able to do that. And Shier says real estate development has been encroaching on the rat's natural habitat. That's why it was endangered. Now its numbers are up to where it's classified only as threatened, a recovery that came from setting aside land that has the kind of vegetation the rat can thrive on, like open shrublands or native grasslands.

MARTÍNEZ: Debra Shier says the rat's long-term survival will take long-term conservation. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.