jerboa

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 jerboa appears to face an uncertain future. As it always has, the animal faces a number of predators, especially those that feed at night. These include, for instance, owls, snakes, foxes, jackals and, in populated areas, house cats. The greater long-term threat, however, would seem to be habitat loss, inflicted by man.
jerboa's range extends from Asia west southwestward across northern Africa. It often favors arid sandy habitats such as the Gobi Desert, where temperatures may fall to near zero during the cold of winter, and the Sahara Desert, where temperatures may rise to more than 130 degrees Fahrenheit in the heat of summer. Foraging primarily at night, the jerboa eats plants, seeds and insects, depending on its food to meet its need for water. It may never actually drink free water throughout its life. Length (head and body), two to six inches, depending on the species; weight, less than an ounce up to a few ounces.Skull, shaped much like that of a mouse or rat; nose, strong, adapted for tunneling burrows for refuge; eyes, large, adapted for nocturnal activity; ears, proportionally large to very large, depending on species, and protected by bristly hairs; teeth, curved and grooved chisel-like incisors and strong molars, adapted for eating the tough plant materials of arid lands; sensory whiskers, long and adapted for feeling immediate surroundings in the darkness of night or within burrows. Roughly mouse- or rat-shaped, covered with long silky soft fur, generally (depending on the species) buff to dark sandy colored on upper parts, lighter colored under parts. Hind legs, typically four times longer than forelegs, designed for prodigious leaps--up to six to seven feet in height and perhaps ten feet in length; hind feet, large, with central bones fused for added strength and support in leaping; toes, four (Asiatic jerboas) or three (African jerboas); digits and soles, equipped with hair tufts to enhance mobility -- something like snow shoes -- in loose sand; forelegs, small, arm-like with forepaws designed for digging burrows and handling food. Typically longer than head and body, used for support and balance when standing, may be tufted.

A few of the jerboa species -- for instance, the five-toed pygmy jerboa (Cardiocranius paradoxus) and the thick-tailed pygmy jerboa (Salpingotus crassicauda) -- are currently considered as threatened. Other species -- for example, the long-eared jerboa (Euchoreutes naso), of the Gobi Desert, and the well known lesser Egyptian jerboa (Jaculus jaculus), of northern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula -- appear on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Red List of Threatened Species, although they are ranked among those of "Least Concern."

A nocturnal animal that spends most of its daylight hours sequestered beneath the surface of the ground, the jerboa has kept much of its behavior secret. It is, however, best known for its leaping ability, which it uses to escape predators. "When about to spring," said the Encyclopedia Britannica, 9th Edition, the jerboa "raises its body by means of the hinder extremities, and supports itself at the same time upon its tail, while the forefeet are so closely pressed to the breast as to be scarcely visible... It then leaps into the air and alights upon its four feet, but instantaneously erecting itself, it makes another spring, and so on in such rapid succession as to appear as if rather flying than running." The jerboa can move 15 to 16 miles per hour. When not in flight, the jerboa walks upright or hops.

Some species, for instance, the long-eared jerboa, have been recommended for more research by international environmental organizations. The jerboa's range, population trends, threats and management requirements need to be better understood if the animal is to be assured of long-term survival.