The tiny kangaroo rat, a native of the southwestern deserts of the United States, never takes a drink of water in its lifetime.

What little moisture this tiny rodent needs it gets from eating roots and desert plants. Yet this is enough to keep the kangaroo rat alive.

The kangaroo rat got its name from the fact that it has the same long, powerful legs and the same strong tail as its Australian namesake. It moves about by leaping, but with such accuracy that it can jump over a cactus and land on top of a grasshopper.

When two kangaroo rats fight, they look like tiny mice on pogo sticks!