STORY and PHOTOS by CHUCK GRAHAM
“It was half past 9 pm on the Carrizo Plain National Monument when I awoke to a steady grassland drumbeat just outside my tent.“
The first round of drumming was directly next to the entryway of my vestibule. The beats were quick, repetitive thuds. And then there was silence for several seconds until another round of beats carried a little further away on what is the last of California’s grassland biome.
Giant kangaroo rats, a federally listed endangered species, were communicating with each other by drumming their kangaroo-like feet on the soft alkaline loam. The sweeping veld spans 250,000 acres.
They could have been communicating over their mowed-down territories. It could’ve been over a female, or maybe a predator was lurking nearby. Whatever it was, the drumbeats wafted across the semi-arid plain, some close by, and others faint and far more distant.
By 4:00 am, I was anxious to get out in the field and watch the Carrizo Plain come to life. I had my tripod set up in a shallow depression where I sat behind a lichen-covered sandstone boulder, my 600mm lens aimed at a busy kit fox den.
Despite the presence of rambunctious, hungry kit foxes, two of their favorite food sources were foraging nearly at my feet. Burrows were everywhere across the grasslands, predator, and prey always within proximity of each other on the Carrizo Plain. Sure enough, while I photographed four playful kit foxes, antelope ground squirrels, and giant kangaroo rats bounced around from burrow to burrow a mere 50 feet away from the smallest fox species on the North American mainland.
NATURE’S CONNECTIVITY
During my 20 years photographing the Carrizo Plain, several biologists in various fields have told me, “As the giant kangaroo rat goes, so goes the Carrizo Plain.”
Giant kangaroo rats are the keystone species of this fragile habitat, which is now a mere postage stamp of its former self. The Carrizo Plain is located on the southern fringe of the San Joaquin Valley that once stretched northward unimpeded for 400 miles, but over the last several centuries the plain has been transformed into agriculture and cattle ranches. Due to that degradation, the Carrizo Plain possesses more endangered species than anywhere else in California. Craig Fiehler, a wildlife biologist for California Fish and Wildlife, said:
“If the giant kangaroo rat were to go extinct out on the Carrizo Plain, the entire ecosystem would collapse.”
That’s because the grassland inhabitants are so intricately connected. Many of the giant kangaroo rat burrows become the homes of American badgers, kit foxes, burrowing owls, antelope ground squirrels, and long-tailed weasels. Often these species will find an abandoned burrow and make it their own.
The burrows are also places of refuge for endangered blunt-nosed leopard lizards, whiptails, northern Pacific rattlesnakes, and side-blotched lizards, species looking to hide from the mid-day sun at one of the sunniest places in the Golden State. Little pocket mice, voles, and deer mice also utilize their burrows.
It’s not uncommon to see giant kangaroo rats near predators. They are a favorite food source for just about every predator on the Carrizo Plain. Kit foxes, long-tailed weasels, and badgers clean up on them. Rattlesnakes take their fair share. And just about every raptor hovering over the grasslands feast on giant kangaroo rats. Ferruginous and red-tailed hawks and prairie falcons catch them frequently. Barn and great-horned owls rely on them. Ravens are also very keen on bulbous-headed rodents. Yes, for giant kangaroo rats, it’s not easy being a keystone species, a provider for most species within the ecosystem.
And yet, the responsibilities of giant kangaroo rats don’t end there. The Carrizo Plain is also known as “California’s Serengeti,” for its growing herds of tule elk, black-tailed mule deer, and a haven for pronghorn antelope, North America’s fastest land mammal. Giant kangaroo rats mow down all the grassland flora around their burrows. They cache lots of food in their burrows, but these little rototillers also encourage new growth and foraging habitat among ungulates with tule elk being the most diversified of browsers across the grasslands.
PLAIN PROVIDER
Sitting in that depression behind my tripod, I waited for the frenetic pace of an active kit fox den to commence. At daybreak, four healthy pups clambered for their father's attention, with bushy tails wagging and affectionate licks around his muzzle. Two more pups stayed down below, possibly nursing, as a late winter chill still hovered over the grasslands.
The father had no time to waste. His pups were hungry, and they were letting him know about it. Kit foxes don't make any noise other than a low, almost undetectable guttural growl. In this instance the father used it to communicate, making sure his pups stayed at the den while he ventured onto the arid grasslands.
Shoulders hunched, and low crawling to his favorite sandstone perch, he gazed across the plain. Kit foxes are equipped with fur on their padded paws, making them virtually silent while looking for prey. I sat on this den for several weeks. Every time I observed the father heading out for food, he never came back empty-handed. He was prolific. This particular morning, he returned with two giant kangaroo rats in his jaws, their long leathery tails swaying back and forth as he loped toward his pups.
Two dominant pups quickly snatched the fresh prey from their father while keeping their siblings at bay. Their father was so proficient, there were giant kangaroo rat carcasses scattered around the den site. There was so much food lying around, the rodents were mere play toys at that point. As I observed and photographed, giant kangaroo rats continued hopping just a few feet in front of me, sharing a burrow with a family of antelope ground squirrels.
It was an ecosystem in proper balance, with predator and prey coexisting just a few burrows away from each other. It was the grassland biome working the way it is supposed to, with giant kangaroo rats, the eco-engineers of the sweeping, semi-arid steppe leading the way.
Learn more about Chuck Graham and his work online at chuckgrahamphoto.com, on Instagram @chuckgrahamphoto, or by phone at +1 (805) 259-8073.
