The animal that never drinks water its entire life
This desert animal can live its entire life without ever drinking a single drop of water.
The short version
The kangaroo rat gets nearly all its moisture from dry seeds, with its body producing water from the food itself; its ultra-efficient kidneys make near-paste urine and it doesn't sweat. It leaps nearly 9 feet on kangaroo-like legs and can kick a striking rattlesnake.
Why it's so weird
- ✓The Kangaroo Rat can live its entire life without ever drinking a single drop of water.
- ✓The Kangaroo Rat makes its own water chemically from the dry seeds it eats.
- ✓The Kangaroo Rat has kidneys so powerful its urine comes out almost as a paste, and it never sweats.
- ✓The Kangaroo Rat leaps nearly nine feet in a single jump on huge kangaroo-like back legs.
- ✓The Kangaroo Rat can kick a striking rattlesnake before it can bite.
The full story
This little desert animal can live its whole life without ever drinking a single drop of water. Meet the kangaroo rat, a tiny survivor of the driest deserts in North America. It gets almost all the moisture it needs from the dry seeds it eats, with its body chemically producing water from the food itself. Its kidneys are so powerful that its urine comes out almost as a paste, wasting barely any water at all, and it does not even sweat. To escape predators, it bounces away on huge back legs like a miniature kangaroo, leaping nearly nine feet in a single jump. It can even hear a snake or an owl coming in near silence, and deliver a lightning-fast kick to a striking rattlesnake before it can bite. A rodent built entirely for the desert. Follow for more weird animal facts.
Watch the 45-second version
Kangaroo Rat gallery
