The
jerboa form the bulk of the membership of the
familyIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
DipodidaeThe Dipodidae, or dipodids, are a family of rodents found across the northern hemisphere. This family includes over 50 species among the 16 genera....
. Jerboas are hopping
desertA desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
rodentRodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s found throughout
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and Northern Africa. They tend to be found in hot deserts.
Burrows and Behavior
Jerboas are nocturnal. During the heat of the day, they shelter in burrows. They create four separate types of burrow: two temporary, and two permanent . The temporary burrows are plain tubes used to escape predators during the night, tending to be just 10 centimetre deep, unsealed and not camouflaged . Permanent daytime burrows are well-hidden and sealed with a plug of sand to keep heat out and moisture in, and tend to be 20 centimetre long . A jerboa's permanent burrow often has multiple entrances, and it is a much more elaborate structure with a nesting chamber . The winter burrows have food storage chambers 40 centimetre below ground level, and a hibernation chamber an astonishing 1.5 to 2.5 m (4.9 to 8.2 ft) down.
Perhaps the best-known species is the
Lesser Egyptian JerboaThe Lesser Egyptian Jerboa الجربوع , Jaculus jaculus, is a little rodent of Africa and the Middle East.Its diet consists of seeds and grasses, however the Jerboa needs very little water to survive.-References:...
(Jaculus jaculus) which occupies some of the most hostile deserts on the planet. It does not drink at all, relying on its food to provide enough moisture for survival . Found in both the sandy and stony deserts of
North AfricaNorth Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, Arabia and
IranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, this small creature
aestivatesAestivation is a state of animal dormancy, characterized by inactivity and a lowered metabolic rate, that is entered in response to high temperatures and arid conditions...
(analogous to
hibernationHibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate. Hibernating animals conserve food, especially during winter when food supplies are limited, tapping energy reserves, body fat, at a slow rate...
) during the hottest summer months, and has the ability to leap a full three meters to escape a predator also by jumping in a zig-zag pattern.
The Jerboa eats tubers as well as other desert plants.
Classification
- ORDER RODENTIA
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
- Family Dipodidae
The Dipodidae, or dipodids, are a family of rodents found across the northern hemisphere. This family includes over 50 species among the 16 genera....
- Subfamily Zapodinae: jumping mice, 4 species in 3 genera
- Subfamily Sicistinae: birch mice
- Subfamily Cardiocraniinae
- Cardiocranius
- Five-toed Pygmy Jerboa
The Five-toed Pygmy Jerboa is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Cardiocranius.It is found in China, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia.Its natural habitat is temperate desert....
, Cardiocranius paradoxus
- Salpingotus
Salpingotus is a genus of rodent in the Dipodidae family.It contains the following species:* Genus Salpingotus**Subgenus Anguistodontus*** Thick-tailed Pygmy Jerboa **Subgenus Prosalpingotus...
- Thick-tailed Pygmy Jerboa
The Thick-tailed Pygmy Jerboa is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family. It is found in China, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia. Its natural habitats are temperate grassland and temperate desert...
, Salpingotus crassicauda
- Heptner's Pygmy Jerboa
Heptner's Pygmy Jerboa is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family. It is found in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and possibly Russia. Its natural habitat is temperate desert.-References:...
, Salpingotus heptneri
- Kozlov's Pygmy Jerboa
Kozlov's Pygmy Jerboa is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family. It is found in China and Mongolia. Its natural habitat is temperate desert.-References:...
, Salpingotus kozlovi
- Baluchistan Pygmy Jerboa
The Baluchistan Pygmy Jerboa, or the Dwarf Three-toed Jerboa, is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family. It is the only species in the genus Salpingotulus. Adults average only 4.4cm head and body length, with the tail averaging 8cm. Adult females weigh 3.75 grams. It is endemic to Pakistan...
, Salpingotus michaelis
- Pallid Pygmy Jerboa, Salpingotus pallidus
- Thomas's Pygmy Jerboa
Thomas's Pygmy Jerboa is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family. It is endemic to Afghanistan. Its natural habitat is temperate desert.-References:* Baillie, J. 1996. . Downloaded on 30 July 2007....
, Salpingotus thomasi
- Subfamily Dipodinae
Dipodinae is a subfamily of Dipodidae.-Classification:Subfamily Dipodinae*Tribe Dipodini**Genus Dipus***Northern Three-toed Jerboa, Dipus sagitta**Genus Eremodipus***Lichtenstein's Jerboa, Eremodipus lichtensteini...
- Dipus
- Northern Three-toed Jerboa
The Northern Three-toed Jerboa is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Dipus.It is found in China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.-References:...
, Dipus sagitta
- Eremodipus
- Lichtenstein's Jerboa
Lichtenstein's Jerboa is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Eremodipus.It is found in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.-References:...
, Eremodipus lichensteini
- Jaculus
The genus Jaculus is a member of the Dipodinae subfamily of dipodoid rodents . Jaculus species are distributed in desert and semi-arid regions across northern Africa, the Sahara, the Horn of Africa, Arabia, the Middle East, and Central Asia....
- Blanford's Jerboa
Blanford's Jerboa is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family. It is found in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan.-References:...
, Jaculus blanfordi
- Lesser Egyptian Jerboa
The Lesser Egyptian Jerboa الجربوع , Jaculus jaculus, is a little rodent of Africa and the Middle East.Its diet consists of seeds and grasses, however the Jerboa needs very little water to survive.-References:...
, Jaculus jaculus
- Greater Egyptian Jerboa
The Greater Egyptian Jerboa is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family. It is found in Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, sandy shores, and arable land.-References:* Aulagnier, S. 2004. . ...
, Jaculus orientalis
- Turkmen Jerboa, Jaculus turcmenicus
- Stylodipus
Stylodipus is a genus of rodent in the Dipodidae family.It contains the following species:* Andrews's Three-toed Jerboa * Mongolian Three-toed Jerboa...
- Andrews's Three-toed Jerboa
Andrews's Three-toed Jerboa is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family. It is found in China and Mongolia.- References :* Baillie, J. 1996. . Downloaded on 30 July 2007....
, Stylodipus andrewsi
- Mongolian Three-toed Jerboa
The Mongolian Three-toed Jerboa is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family. It is found in Mongolia and possibly China.-References:...
, Stylodipus sungorus
- Thick-tailed Three-toed Jerboa
The Thick-tailed Three-toed Jerboa is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family. It is found in China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.-References:...
, Stylodipus telum
- Subfamily Euchoreutinae
- Euchoreutes
- Long-eared Jerboa
The Long-eared Jerboa, Euchoreutes naso, is a nocturnal mouse-like rodent with a long tail, long hind legs for jumping, and exceptionally large ears...
, Euchoreutes naso
- Subfamily Allactaginae
Allactaginae is a subfamily of rodents.- Classification :Subfamily Allactaginae*Genus Allactaga**incertae sedis***Allactaga toussi**Subgenus Allactaga***Small Five-toed Jerboa, Allactaga elater...
- Allactaga
The genus Allactaga contains the four and five-toed jerboas of Asia.-Characteristics:These are hopping rodents of desert and semi-arid regions with long ears, tails and feet. All members of the genus have five toes except for a single species, the Four-toed Jerboa, Allactaga tetradactyla of...
- Balikun Jerboa
The Balikun Jerboa is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family.It is found in China and Mongolia.-References:...
, Allactaga balikunica
- Gobi Jerboa
The Gobi Jerboa is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family.It is found in China and Mongolia.Its natural habitats are temperate grassland and temperate desert.-References:...
, Allactaga bullata
- Small Five-toed Jerboa
The Small Five-toed Jerboa is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family.It is found in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, China, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan.-References:...
, Allactaga elater
- Euphrates Jerboa
The Euphrates Jerboa is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family.It is found in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Turkey....
, Allactaga euphratica
- Iranian Jerboa
The Iranian Jerboa is a jerboa in the subfamily Allactaginae. The species was listed as critically endangered by the IUCN red list. It is only found one small population in Iran. They were found on a flat plain with a gravel substrate and sparse, mountain steppe vegetation. It is a nocturnal...
, Allactaga firouzi
- Hotson's Jerboa
Hotson's Jerboa is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family.It is found in Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan. Named by Oldfield Thomas after John Ernest Buttery Hotson who collected specimens in Baluchistan during 1918-1920....
, Allactaga hotsoni
- Great Jerboa
FileThe Great Jerboa is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family.It is found in Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. It mainly lives in deserts.The Great Jerboa lives in many desert biomes around the world....
, Allactaga major
- Severtzov's Jerboa, Allactaga severtzovi
- Mongolian Five-toed Jerboa
The Mongolian Five-toed Jerboa or Siberian Jerboa is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family.It is found in China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Turkmenistan.-References:...
, Allactaga sibirica
- Four-toed Jerboa
The Four-toed Jerboa is a small jumping desert rodent. This species of jerboa is endangered and lives in coastal salt marshes, and dry and clay deserts. It has long hind legs, short front legs, and long ears about the length of its head. Its fur is the color of the sand it burrows in, with a...
, Allactaga tetradactyla
- Vinogradov's Jerboa
Vinogradov's Jerboa is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family.It is found in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.-References:...
, Allactaga vinogradovi
- Bobrinski's Jerboa
Bobrinski's Jerboa is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Allactodipus.It is found in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.-References:...
, Allactodipus bobrinskii
- Pygeretmus
Pygeretmus is a genus of rodent in the Dipodidae family.It contains the following species:* Lesser Fat-tailed Jerboa * Dwarf Fat-tailed Jerboa * Greater Fat-tailed Jerboa...
- Lesser Fat-tailed Jerboa
The Lesser Fat-tailed Jerboa is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family. It is endemic to West, Central, and Eastern Kazakhstan, as well as Northwestern Turkmenistan.-Sources:...
, Pygeretmus platyurus
- Dwarf Fat-tailed Jerboa
The Dwarf Fat-tailed Jerboa is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family. It is found in China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Russia.-References:* Baillie, J. 1996. . Downloaded on 30 July 2007....
, Pygeretmus pumilio
- Greater Fat-tailed Jerboa
The Greater Fat-tailed Jerboa is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family. It is endemic to Kazakhstan. Its natural habitat is temperate desert.-References:...
, Pygeretmus shitkovi
- Subfamily Paradipodinae
- Paradipus
- Comb-toed Jerboa
The Comb-toed Jerboa is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Paradipus. It is found in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.-References:...
, Paradipus ctenodactylus
External links