Desert Kangaroo Rats live in sand dunes in very hot, dry deserts of the southwestern United States, even below sea level in Death Valley, California. They need deep sand for their burrows, and will not dig them in rapidly shifting sand. Learn more about the Dipodomys deserti, more commonly known as a Desert Kangaroo Rat, in this easy-to-read species overview by the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.