Jerboas (photo): Frisky jumpers with long tails. Desert dweller jerboa: photos, pictures and description of the animal How the jerboa adapted to life in the desert

Our planet is amazing and rich in variety of incredible representatives of life! Predatory, herbivorous, poisonous and harmless - they are our brothers. The task of man is to take care of the animal world, to know and respect its laws. After all, some species are so unique that they have inhabited the Earth since ancient times! Today we will talk about such an animal. His name is jerboa. It has been known since the Oligocene period (33.9 - 23.03 million years ago). Scientists suggest that the ancestors of modern jerboas stood out in Asia about eight million years ago. From there they spread to North Africa and Europe. But in Europe, the jerboa is completely extinct.

Description of the jerboa

Small, mouse-like mammals. They are members of the rodent order.. In nature, there are about 50 species. The most famous include: African, five-fingered, large jerboa, marsupial, eared, furry-legged, fat-tailed, and jumping jerboa.

Appearance

Outwardly, jerboas resemble either a kangaroo or a mouse. The head is large relative to the body, with an almost indistinguishable neck. Rounded, slightly flattened muzzle with large dark eyes. Large eyes allow you to capture a greater flow of light information. Huge fanned vibrissae. It is the main organ of touch in many animals. As a rule, long and rounded ears, which carry the function of heat transfer and reception of auditory information. The hair on the ears is sparse.

• Body length: from 4 to 26 cm.
• Tail length: 6 to 28 cm.
• Weight: from 10 to 300 grams.

The body is short. The hind limbs are much longer than the front, which is necessary for active running. And short, with sharp elongated claws, the animal uses the forelimbs for digging holes, manipulating food. The wool is thick and soft. Color from sandy to brown, mostly monochromatic. There is a light color on the abdomen.

It is interesting! The tail of a jerboa may contain a supply of fat necessary to maintain the body during hibernation or during a period of lack of food.

Tail at the end with a flat tassel, which is a kind of steering wheel when moving. Individual features of color, structure of the limbs depend on the species and habitat. For example, the color changes, the size of the body as a whole or its individual parts.

Lifestyle and behavior

jerboa nocturnal animal. Cautious to such an extent that after sunset it leaves its mink only an hour later. All night looking for food, leaving for a distance of up to 5 km. And in the morning, exactly one hour before sunrise, they return to the shelter. Such reinsurance often saves lives. However, there are species that are active and search for food during the day, and at dusk they rush to the house under the ground.

One type of dwelling is summer. With separated rooms, covered with grass. Often, practical animals make a “back door” in their underground apartments and, in case of a threat, escape through it.

In winter, the animal hibernates, which lasts up to six months. The hibernation burrow is different from the usual "living" burrow. It is located much deeper, reaching 2.5 meters. Some species prepare food supplies for the winter, while others store them directly in themselves, in the form of fat.

It is interesting! Jerboas are real builders. These hardworking little animals build more than one house for themselves. They have summer and winter burrows, permanent and temporary, a hibernation burrow and a birth burrow.

Also, these incredible creatures can have houses for permanent and temporary stay. Permanent houses necessarily have an entrance littered with an earthen clod. Inland, this peculiar corridor is quite long.

Further, as a rule, a branch appears, leading to a living room in which the surface is covered with grass and there is a place under the "bed" in the form of a ball of wool, moss, feathers - all suitable materials collected on the surface. Several unfinished moves already lead from it to the surface. They are needed in case of emergency evacuation.

Among the jerboas, there are those who, instead of building their own house, take it “for rent” from gophers. The jerboa comes into contact with relatives only during the mating season. You can call him a loner. This is one of the strategies that different representatives of the flora use to survive.

Some stay in a group and survive, having a developed system of communication and coherence among themselves. And some, on the contrary, prefer to develop individually, passing on the genes of the most adapted, fast, invulnerable, cautious and intelligent to the next generation. And if the individual turned out to be clumsy, slow or inattentive, then it dies. Thus, the survival of the species is ensured.

How long do jerboas live

However, diseases, the influence of natural conditions and predators shorten this time by several times. In captivity, life expectancy increases significantly. The average life expectancy in the wild is no more than 3 years.

Range, habitats

What is the envy of other animals in jerboas is the prevalence in completely different living conditions. They live on almost all continents, where there are steppes, deserts and semi-deserts. These regions include North Africa to the south of the Sahara, southern Europe, Asia north of the Himalayas.

However, jerboas can be found even in forest-steppes and mountainous areas. Some subspecies live even at an altitude of up to 2 thousand meters above sea level. In Russia, you can meet some representatives of the genus: a large jerboa, a small jerboa, a jumping jerboa, an ordinary jerboa, a terry-footed and a five-toed jerboa.

jerboa diet

The daily food intake for a jerboa is 60 grams. The food includes seeds and roots of plants, which they extract by digging holes.

They enjoy eating insect larvae. They like to eat fruits, grains of cereals, vegetables. Jerboas practically do not drink water! All moisture comes from plants.

Important! The tail of the jerboa says a lot about the state of health and nutrition. If it is round, then the animal eats well and regularly. The tail is thin, with protruding vertebrae, indicating exhaustion.

The diet consists mainly of seeds and roots of plants.. Their jerboas are dug up, leaving holes. Insects and their larvae are also eaten. Animals practically do not drink water. They get their moisture from plants. During the night, in search of food, one rodent can travel up to 10 km along its food paths.

One animal needs 60 g of various feeds per day. This population has a great influence on the soil and vegetation cover of deserts, semi-deserts and steppes, and also serves as food for local predators. At the same time, animals can be distributors of dangerous infectious diseases up to the plague.

The large jerboa belongs to the genus of earthen hares. It is the largest among jerboas. As a species, the large jerboa is distributed almost throughout Eastern Europe, Kazakhstan and the southern regions of Western Siberia. The large jerboa lives in a territory that captures the steppe, adjacent to forests, areas and semi-deserts.

The large jerboa belongs to the genus of earthen hares

Types of jerboas (video)

There are different types of jerboas, which can be grouped according to the structure of their legs, ears and tail length into the following large groups:

1. Upland jerboa has a body up to 14 cm in size, and its tail length reaches 0.15 m. It lives in a semi-desert area. The head is large, the ears are short. The upland jerboa on its paws has bristles of hair. Likes to hide in dunes. Moves by jumping or running. A burrow dug by an animal can be 7-8 m long. It feeds on plant tubers that it pulls out of the soil.
2. long-eared jerboa has huge ears and a very long tail with a black and white tassel. He has a pointed muzzle and a long mustache. Lives in the Gobi desert. The body length is 9 cm, and the ears are 50 mm. The size of the tail approaches 15 cm. The hind limbs are 3.5-4 times larger than the front ones. The long-eared jerboa is colored yellow. Leads a hidden, nocturnal lifestyle. It is listed in the Red Book as one of the rare species of animals.

A domestic jerboa is an animal caught in the steppe or desert., which is kept in a cage, because if it is released, it will start running around the apartment, and the owner simply cannot catch it. It tries to dig minks, and if it is not followed, it can escape. The aviary for him must have high sides (at least 50-60 cm), otherwise he will jump over it. It should be noted that this animal is a rodent. He can eat at home with cereals, plants (especially loves their roots and bulbs). In order for the animal to get used to the owner, you just need to live in it in one room. The jerboa does not like being stroked or trying to play with it, as it is a solitary animal.

The large jerboa is one of the largest in the order of jerboas belonging to the genus of rodents. In these animals, the body is short and in adulthood is about 20 cm long. The tail of jerboas is longer than the body - about 30 cm. In animals, the tail at the end is formed into a fluffy tassel that has a black or white color. An adult jerboa weighs about 300 grams. The muzzle of the rodent is wide, slightly elongated and ends with a small heel. The head has a rounded shape, elongated ears up to 59 mm are located on it. The forelimbs of the animal are shorter than the hind ones. The color of jerboas varies from brownish-ocher to brownish-gray and pale sandy. Cheeks, throat and abdomen of a light color. The femora are reddish on the outside and a transverse stripe runs along them.
Fat stores are concentrated in the tail of the jerboa. Therefore, by the appearance of the animal, you can tell how well it eats. As a rule, in a poorly fed jerboa, vertebrae are noticeable on the tail, and in a well-fed one, they are well-fed and have a rounded shape. The animals move by jumping and can pick up speed up to 50 km. in hour.

Spreading:
The large jerboa can be found in dry and arid climates, but it can settle in other conditions. It mainly lives in the zone of forest-steppes and semi-deserts of the northern and desert parts of Europe. Lives in Kazakhstan and Western Siberia.
At the beginning of the 20th century, a large jerboa began to conquer its lands and moved south from the Oka River, occasionally it can also be found on the left bank. Today it can be seen in the southeast of Zaraisk and in the Serebryano-Prudsky district.

Number:
within its breeding range. The jerboa has spread widely around the globe, but not evenly. This is mainly due to changes in climatic conditions and the increased influence of anthropogenic factors. The number of this animal increases to the south and ranges from 0.5-5 individuals per hectare.
Until the mid-90s, jerboas could be found in the vicinity of the city of Serpukhov, where they became extinct due to the destruction of their habitat, which is associated with a change in economic activity.

The value of the jerboa in human life:
From 1920 to 1960, jerboa skins were made in the Republic of Kazakhstan, which were in demand among merchants and artisans. To date, this fishery is frozen. These animals are the causative agents of Q fever and plague.
Today, these cute and nimble animals are kept in apartments as pets.

Jerboa life in nature:
Jerboas tend to live in any warm environment. In the north, they settle on open surfaces near vegetation, in the steppe zone they are located near the shoulders of dirt roads, at the edge of fields, on gentle slopes and ravines. In Western Siberia and Kazakhstan, they inhabit low-grass meadows with sun-drenched soils, near the shores of salt lakes and steppe rivers. These animals do not live in the desert. They prefer moving sands and loamy soil. Jerboas can live on mountain slopes, at an altitude of up to 1650 m above the sea.
In their way of life, they are solitary animals. They contact with their relatives only on the eve of mating. the jerboa leads an active nocturnal lifestyle and “comes out” to the surface 40 minutes after sunset, it returns to its hole 50 minutes before dawn. These animals are overly cautious and get out to the surface only if this is the case. if you are sure of your safety outside.
Jerboas move mainly by jumping, jumping on their long graceful legs. The length of the jump can be from 80 to 125 cm.
Jerboas are excellent diggers. The incisors of the animal are long and thin. That allows them to easily cope with even the most dense soil. The burrows of jerboas have a rather complex structure, they are horizontal and unidirectional, they can reach 6 meters in depth, and from the middle of the burrow it sharply deviates to the side where they build their nests. They are usually found at a depth of 40 - 110 cm. Additional exits can come from the main hole, since the path along which the jerboas make their way can become clogged with an earthen embankment, forming earthen plugs. Jerboas carefully equip their nests. The nest has a spherical shape, inside the animals lay dry grass. Moss. Feathers and wool. Winter burrows differ from summer ones, and they are located at a depth of up to 2.5 meters. One jerboa can have several burrows that are connected by one common route. The big jerboa is an omnivorous animal. It can eat as plant food - seeds, dried flowers, plant roots. So is food of animal origin - insects, larvae. Switching from one food to another is not a problem for the animal. They feed on the food that is more available in a certain season.
Like most of the order of rodents, in the wild, jerboas tend to fall into seasonal hibernation. It lies in the autumn, from the moment of cold weather. This happens mainly in September, but sometimes it drags on until October. On the eve of hibernation, a large jerboa does not make winter reserves, before hibernation it accumulates fat, its body weight may increase to a widow.
In the wild, jerboas live no more than three years. It is connected both with the physiology of the rodent and with a large number of enemies - hares, birds of prey and reptiles.

Maintenance and care of jerboa at home:
Jerboas are mobile animals, they need constant jumping and running. To live in captivity and constraint is unnatural to their nature. However, if you still decide to get a jerboa, you must create conditions for him in which he could fulfill his physical needs so that physical inactivity does not progress in the pet, which as a result can lead to the death of the animal. Therefore, a jerboa in the house is a responsible decision.
For the animal, it is necessary to build a spacious aviary. And remember that the jerboa has excessively high jumps - up to 1.5 meters. The cage should not contain any plastic items and pallets, otherwise the animal will gnaw through it with its sharp teeth and run away. Several individuals cannot be kept in one cage. Since these animals are solitary and the stay of relatives in the same territory will only cause aggression towards each other.
The landscape in the aviary should be close to natural in structure, it is more expedient to pour sand on the bottom.
In addition to the necessary soil in the cage, the animal must have a feeder and drinker. You can throw various sticks, roots, dry grass into the cage, that is, everything that an animal can get in wildlife and build a safe nest for itself.
Jerboas are very clean. They carefully monitor their fur coat and relieve their needs in a certain place. Cleaning in the cage is carried out as it gets dirty.
These animals are quite difficult to adapt to home conditions, and it is quite difficult to tame it, since the animal is predominantly nocturnal. It is not worth letting the animal out of the cage, because at the first successful opportunity they will run away.

Jerboa feeding:
Jerboas should be fed on their main diet from the wild. It is contraindicated for them to give sweets and food prepared for a person. Also, you can not give seafood. Exotic fruits and berries such as blueberries, raspberries, mangoes, avocados.
The main diet of the rodent is cereals, cereals, having an agricultural orientation. In their diet, you can include sunflower seeds, pumpkins, carrots, beets, pears. In order for the diet to be balanced in food, it is necessary to include animal products - grasshoppers, moths, worms. The animal consumes little water, but one should always be clean and fresh in its cage.

Guess the riddle: long legs, huge ears and a mustache to the heels - who is it? You will never guess, although the name of this animal is familiar to almost everyone. So, let's reveal the secret: all of the listed characteristics have ... jerboa!

Bounce! Another jump!

The jerboa itself is a rodent. As befits rodents, it is quite small - from 4 to 25 centimeters long, no more. But this is where his resemblance to common voles and domestic rats ends, and then comes the strict jerboa personality.

First of all, it's the legs. The hind legs of the jerboa are long and extraordinarily powerful, of course, in proportion to its body. On such legs you can ride for many kilometers, which jerboas often do - the front paws do not take part in the movement.

Some individuals are able to jump to a height of up to three meters, and jump up to five meters in length. Can you imagine what kind of overview of the area you can get from a three-meter height? As for distances, the jerboa, if you scare it well, is able to reach speeds of up to 40 kilometers per hour from a place and disappear beyond the horizon for a short time.

In just one night, this small, funny and so weak-looking creature is able to leave its hole for a distance of up to six kilometers in search of food, and return safely by morning.

Four-toed jerboa (Allactaga tetradactyla)

Domostroy

But you will hardly ever have to watch a running (that is, jumping) jerboa. These animals are very cunning and prudent. For example, what do you think: how many one ordinary jerboa has its own "houses"? As many as three!

These are burrows - rescue, temporary and permanent. Rescue (there may be several) - something like a gap in the ground 10-20 centimeters deep, where you can hide in case of immediate danger.

The temporary hole serves exclusively for daytime sleep, it is already deeper (up to half a meter). But the main one is a permanent hole, which is a real labyrinth with dead ends, false corridors and a bunch of emergency exits. The length of only the main corridor leading to the main labyrinth can be up to six meters.

Egyptian jerboa (Jaculus jaculus)

Surely many will have a question: if the presence of rescue and permanent holes is quite understandable and explainable, then the need for a temporary hole, usually located not far from the rest, is very controversial.

In fact, the jerboa does not have an adequate answer to this question either. Perhaps the fact is that the animal likes to sleep, especially during the day, and sometimes it “passes down” almost out of the blue. He does not trust the rescue hole much, and it is too far to climb into the permanent one - there is a chance to fall asleep halfway.

Perhaps it is for emergency sleep that a temporary hole exists. By the way, when the jerboa is sleeping, you can do whatever you want with it - it is almost impossible to wake it up. Even if you take the animal in your arms, if it wakes up, it will not be right away.

Most varieties of jerboas live in hot regions of the planet, in deserts and semi-deserts. Those who have chosen colder areas for themselves fall into hibernation. These individuals have one more hole - winter.

There they spend the whole winter and part of the spring, sometimes until mid-April. By the way, the further north the jerboas live, the darker the hair on their backs.

Jerboas get their food mainly at night. They eat everything that falls under their paws: roots, seeds and bulbs of plants, insects and worms, and some species even small birds.

The large jerboa (Allactaga major) is the largest of the jerboas. He has a relatively short body (18.7-26 cm long); tail 1.3 times as long as body (25-30.5 cm).

Ears, mustache and tail

But back to the individual data of the animal. The next unique feature of the jerboa is its disproportionately huge ears. The purpose of such ears is quite clear. They are useful for hunting and for protection from predators.

Moreover, the jerboa has a lot of enemies, almost everyone who is larger than its size and is not averse to feasting on fresh meat. In addition, the animal's eyesight and sense of smell are very poorly developed, so good hearing, which is provided by huge ears, is a necessary compensation.

By the way, the long-eared jerboa (that’s his name, and he lives in the Mongolian steppes) has ears five centimeters long with a body length of only nine centimeters. So, if we suddenly start talking about records, then “on the ears” he is ahead of everyone, and he rightfully owns the title of the longest-eared animal on the planet.

Long-eared jerboa (Euchoreutes naso)

Long-eared jerboa from a special angle looks like a fictional animal

As for the whiskers, or, more precisely, vibrissae, they serve the jerboa in the same way as they do cats. Vibrissae are able to pick up the slightest changes in the environment, such as, for example, a change in atmospheric pressure or a change in the direction of air currents.

Thanks to the vibrissae, the jerboa is able to bypass any obstacles in complete darkness and determine in advance whether it will get stuck in a hole, which, say, it decided to examine.

Like other rodents, the jerboa has a tail. But if the purpose of the rat's tail is still not really clear, then the tail of the jerboa brings clear benefits to its owner. There is a brush at the end of the tail. When a jerboa has to run away from a predator, it jumps like a hare, winding in different directions.

Moreover, if the animal turns sharply to the right, then with its tail it makes a go-ahead to the left. The predator, focusing on the tassel rushing ahead of him, automatically turns left, and when he realizes that he was cheated, the jerboa already comes to his senses, sitting deep underground in one of his holes.

Fat-tailed jerboa (Salpingotus crassicauda). For the winter it hibernates, before which it accumulates a supply of fat in the tail.

Life in an apartment

Jerboas can be kept at home, although this is difficult. And of all the species, only three are suitable as pets. This is a large, furry-legged and small jerboa. But they also have difficulties.

Firstly, as already mentioned, these are nocturnal animals, so you have to get used to the midnight travels of the animal around the apartment. It is impossible to transfer a jerboa to a daily regimen - its body is so finely tuned to the change of day and night that any intervention will only lead to the death of the animal.

There are also feeding difficulties. The animal does not eat human food in principle, but it cannot be kept on seeds alone either. The jerboa also needs vegetables: potatoes, beets, carrots and fruits. - apples and pears, and in winter, thin branches of willow, maple and aspen should be added to its diet.

Asia Minor mountain jerboa (Allactaga euphratica)

Of course, live insects should be present on the table of the animal all year round. The aviary for him should be large and spacious, but his walks around the house should be monitored very carefully.

If the jerboa decides to settle outside the enclosure or create a spare hole out of habit, then your furniture and even walls can be seriously damaged if they are made of not the most durable materials.

Despite their small size, these animals have strong paws and unbending patience, especially when it comes to their favorite pastime - the construction of holes.

Konstantin FEDOROV

Long-eared jerboa (Euchoreutes naso)

Jerboa- a representative of the jerboa family (Dipodidae), mammals from the order of rodents. Outwardly, the jerboa is somewhat similar to a kangaroo: it has long hind three-toed legs, short legs, a long tail with a tassel (where, by the way, fat reserves are stored for the winter). Jerboas jump on their hind legs and are able to reach speeds of up to 50 km / h. So if you get this rodent in your home, consider your apartment as little Australia.

Kinds

In nature, there are about 30 species of jerboas. Let's just focus on the most common ones.

• Jumping jerboa (Allactaga saltator)- an animal of ocher-brownish or yellowish-gray color, 13-17 cm long, tail - 19-22 cm. It lives in the steppes, deserts of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Mongolia and Northern China. Able to climb to a height of 2000 m or more. The animal feeds on seeds, stems and bulbs of plants, insects and their larvae. There are 2-3 cubs in the brood, but the number can reach up to 7. Life expectancy in nature rarely exceeds three years.

• Comb-toed Jerboa (Paradipus ctenodactylus) reaches a length of 16 cm. On the foot - a long bunk brush. Lives in the sands of Kyzylkum and Eastern Karakum. It climbs bushes, jumps up to 3 m when running, but can run on its hind legs, stepping on them one by one.

• Long-eared jerboa (Euchoreutes naso)- an animal 8-9 cm long, with a tail up to 16 cm long and feet half the length of the body. The long-eared jerboa is reddish-gray above, white on the sides and on the belly. It lives in the deserts of Xinjiang and Alashan, it happens that it runs into the yurts of nomads.

The jerboa is nocturnal

• Five-toed pygmy jerboa (Cardiocranius paradoxus) only 5-6 cm long (tail - 7-8 cm) has a disproportionately large head with large eyes and short tubular ears. The tail has deposits of fat in the subcutaneous tissue and is therefore thickened in the main and middle parts. The five-fingered pygmy jerboa has a grayish-buff coat with an admixture of dark gray tones and a white belly. These jerboas live in the desert with sparse vegetation. They are nocturnal and spend the day in burrows. In search of food, the animals climb the stems of grasses and branches of shrubs.

• Fat-tailed jerboa (Salpingotus crassicauda) are the smallest members of this family. The animal has a body length of only 4-5 cm, a tail - 9-10 cm. In one of the parts, the tail is noticeably thick (these are subcutaneous fat deposits). The color of the animal is grayish-yellowish above, white below. The fat-tailed pygmy jerboa lives in the Zaisan basin, the southern Balkhash region, the Mongolian Altai and the Gobi. It feeds on seeds of cereals, insects, plant stems. In captivity, the animals, planted in one cage, arrange fights and even sometimes eat each other. They are nocturnal, and climb into burrows during the day. The animal clogs the entrance to the hole with a sand plug, for which it pushes the sand with its head from the inside.

• Large jerboa (Allactaga major), or earthen hare, is the largest species. The length of the body is 19-26 cm, the tail is up to 30 cm. From above, this jerboa is colored brownish-gray or pale sandy-gray, the color is white from below. The large jerboa lives in semi-deserts, steppes and forest-steppes of South-Eastern Europe, southern Siberia and Kazakhstan. Animals settle in the meadow steppe and in the clayey semi-desert. Burrows have several emergency exits clogged with earthen plugs. In addition to permanent burrows, the large jerboa has simpler temporary burrows, as well as wintering burrows that go deep into the soil by 2-2.5 meters. For food, the large jerboa consumes plant seeds, bulbs and tubers, and also eats insects.

Lifestyle

Jerboas are jumping creatures, the length of their "take-off" can be 3 meters, that is, 20 times the length of their body. The animals are nocturnal, which, of course, is not very convenient for the owners. If you love and are interested in your pet, then watch him late at night or watch his waking moments during the day.

If the animal gets out of the cage, then it will immediately climb into some hard-to-reach place. It will be incredibly difficult to get him out of there, and if you leave him where he hid, he will gnaw on furniture and it is possible that he will badly spoil the wall. It should also be remembered that it is undesirable to catch an animal by the tail, since the animal may lose its decoration.

Housing

The housing of the animal should be spacious. If the jerboa does not have enough space to jump and frolic, his paws will start to hurt, which, unfortunately, can lead to the death of the animal.

For upland jerboas and other small species, a 1.2 x 0.25 meter meshed aquarium will be the optimal housing. One third of such an aquarium should be covered with a layer of turf. For animals adapted to life in a sandy area, sand is needed where they can bathe and clean their fur. Before pouring sand into the aquarium, it is necessary to sift it through a sieve. It is better to take river sand for these purposes.

An aquarium is the best housing for pygmy jerboas. As a flooring for these animals, a layer of turf with gravel is suitable. Preference should be given to fine sand. It is also necessary to install a cardboard or plywood house in the aquarium.

In winter, do not be surprised if your animal suddenly hibernates. This is more likely to happen on cold days or in a cool room. Therefore, if the utilities heat you poorly, install a heater at home. With it, your animal will be more comfortable and more likely that he will not fall asleep for a while.

Feeding

The jerboa should be protected from "human" junk food and fed with vegetables, fruits and grain mixtures

To keep your pet happy and healthy, you need to feed him, adhering to the diet in the wild. You should not give anything sweet, salty, peppery, as well as "human" food, that is, food prepared in modern ways. It is also undesirable to feed the animals with seafood, exotic fruits and berries (avocados, mangoes, raspberries, etc.).