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| ily of small mammals in the order Rodentia and part of the Castorimorpha suborder. Members of this family are called heteromyids and include kangaroo rats, kangaroo mice, pocket mice, and spiny pocket mice. They are found in North America, Central America, and the northwest tip of South America, primarily in forests, shrublands, and deserts, though some species can be found in grasslands or rocky areas. They range in size from Merriam's pocket mouse, at 5 cm (2 in) plus a 4 cm (2 in) tail, to Nelson's spiny pocket mouse, at 17 cm (7 in) plus a 20 cm (8 in) tail. Heteromyids are omnivores and primarily eat seeds, leaves, and other vegetation, as well as grain and insects. Almost no heteromyids have population estimates, though four species—the giant kangaroo rat, Jaliscan spiny pocket mouse, Nelson's spiny pocket mouse, and Paraguaná spiny pocket mouse—are categorized as endangered species, while the San Quintin kangaroo rat is categorized as critically endangered with a population of fewer than fifty mature adults. The sixty-three extant species of Heteromyidae are divided into three subfamilies: Dipodomyinae, containing twenty–two species of kangaroo rats and kangaroo mice in two genera; Heteromyinae, containing a single genus of fourteen spiny pocket mouse species; and Perognathinae, containing twenty-seven pocket mouse species in two genera. A few extinct prehistoric heteromyid species have been discovered, though due to ongoing research and discoveries, the exact number and categorization is not fixe |