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The jerboa (from Arabic يربوع yarbū' or Hebrew ירבוע yarbōa' ) form the bulk of the membership of the family Dipodidae. Jerboas are jumping desert rodents found throughout Asia and Northern Africa.
[edit] Characteristics Jerboas resemble mice with long tufted tails and very long hind legs. The small forelegs are not used for locomotion. In general, Asiatic jerboas have five toes on their hind feet and African jerboas have three; the shapes of their ears vary widely between species[citation needed]. Jerboa fur is long, soft and silky. Diet varies considerably: some are specialist seed, insect, or plant eaters, others are omnivores[citation needed]. Jerboas have the ability to hop considerable distances relative to its size, an ability that evolved as an adaptation to help them escape from predators, and to assist with long journeys and foraging in its desert environment[citation needed]. Although jerboas are not closely related to the hopping mice of Australia or the kangaroo rats of North America, all three groups have evolved a similar set of adaptations to life in the deep desert.[1] [edit] Burrows and BehaviorJerboas are nocturnal. During the heat of the day, they shelter in burrows. They create four separate types of burrow: two temporary, and two permanent[citation needed]. The temporary burrows are plain tubes used to escape predators during the night, tending to be just 10 to 20 cm (3.9 to 7.9 in) deep, unsealed and not camouflaged[citation needed]. 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 to 50 cm (7.9 to 20 in) long[citation needed]. A jerboa's permanent burrow often have multiple entrances, and are much more elaborate structures with a nesting chamber[citation needed]. The winter burrows have food storage chambers 40 to 70 cm (16 to 28 in) 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 Jerboa (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[citation needed]. Found in both the sandy and stony deserts of North Africa, Arabia and Iran, this small creature aestivates (analogous to hibernation) during the hottest summer months, and has the ability to leap a full meter to escape a predator[citation needed]. [edit] Possible EndangermentTwo species are considered threatened: the Five-toed Pygmy Jerboa (classed 'VU' vulnerable), the Thick-tailed Pygmy Jerboa (classed 'VU' vulnerable). A rare species only recently captured on film in the deserts of Mongolia and China, the Long-eared Jerboa (classed 'LC' least concern [2]) is no longer believed to be threatened. Many other species have been placed in a "lower risk" category, and one species (Thomas's Pygmy Jerboa) lacks the data for assessment. [edit] Classification
[edit] References
[edit] External linksFind more about Jerboa on Wikipedia's sister projects:  Definitions from Wiktionary Textbooks from Wikibooks Quotations from Wikiquote Source texts from Wikisource Images and media from Commons News stories from Wikinews Learning resources from Wikiversity
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