Rodents

  • Rodents
  • California Vole
  • Botta's Pocket Gopher

Botta's Pocket Gopher

common name: Botta's Pocket Gopher
scientific name: Thomomys bottae
phylum: Chordata
class: Mammalia
order: Rodentia
family: Geomyidae

California Vole

common name: California Vole
scientific name: Microtus californicus
phylum: Chordata
class: Mammalia
order: Rodentia
family: Muridae
habitat: common in grasslands, wetlands and wet meadows
Sacramento Splash - Helping children understand and value their natural world picture
Bacteria made life possible on Earth

For 2 billion years, bacteria were the only creatures on Earth. Long before the dinosaurs, a special type of bacteria slowly increased the level of oxygen in the Earth's air to 20 percent. Without this oxygen other plants and animals could not have evolved, including us.

Learn more about bacteria...
Sacramento Splash - Helping children understand and value their natural world picture
What's in a name?

For Splash students, a "Tadpole Shrimp" is an endangered species that lives in vernal pools. For rice farmers, a "Tadpole Shrimp" is a common pest that destroys their rice fields. A rice farmer would think you were crazy wanting to save "Tadpole Shrimp" from extinction!

With scientific names, there's no room for confusion: the rice pest is Triops longicaudatus and the endangered species is Lepidurus packardi. Even a scientists who speak different languages can understand one another when they all use the Latin name!

Learn more about tadpole shrimp!