The worldwide distribution of extant jerboa species is extensive throughout the arid and desert regions of North Africa and Central Asia. As a member of the most derived clade of three-toed jerboas, it shows all of the specialized characteristics for bipedalism, including loss of the lateral digits … The lesser Egyptian jerboa is a strictly nocturnal species, feeding on seeds, insects, succulent parts of desert grasses, and fungi (desert truffles Terfezia species), which it detects using its acute sense of smell.Amazingly, it does not need to drink in order to survive the arid desert conditions, relying on its food to provide it with all its water needs. Jerboa fur is fine, and usually the colour of sand. Main Characteristics The Long-Eared Jerboa is a nocturnal mouse-like rodent. Members of both clades are also found in Israel, where they can be easily identified according to fur and tail colouration and morphology of the male external genitalia, but cannot be separated confidently using skull characters. Curious if they could observe similar patterns in a related species with a very different skeleton, the scientists studied the growth plates of the lesser Egyptian jerboa (Jaculus jaculus). [1] [2] Some species of the jerboa family have long ears like a rabbit, whilst others have ears that are short like those of a mouse or rat. They create burrows, some made quickly and simply only to use as hiding places and others more elaborate for nesting and storing food. It does not drink at all, relying on its food to provide enough moisture for survival. The lesser Egyptian jerboa, Jaculus jaculus, is the ideal jerboa species for use as a laboratory model system. Well adapted for desert sand, this Lesser Egyptian Jerboa Rodent has very long hind legs, each with 3 toes on a pad of hairs.. The most well-known species is the Lesser Egyptian Jerboa (Jaculus jaculus) which lives in some of the most hostile deserts in the world. The worldwide distribution of extant jerboa species is extensive throughout the arid and desert regions of North Africa and Central Asia. Life Expectancy: 2 - 3 Yrs (Approx.) Its Jerboa's atypical jumping pattern and sense of hearing that often saves its life. They found that the chondrocytes in the tibia (a leg bone) grew in a similar pattern as in the mouse. This slow-motion video shows a jerboa skipping across a force place at 0.87m/s (almost 2mph!). Its diet consists mainly of seeds and grasses, however the Jerboa needs very little water to survive. Two clades of the lesser Egyptian jerboa Jaculus jaculus sensu lato were recently described in North Africa and considered as cryptic species. The Lesser Egyptian Jerboa Jaculus jaculus however, is found in North Africa, throughout the Arabian Peninsula, and as far north as Southwestern Iran. Diet in the Wild: The lesser Egyptian jerboa will eat roots, vegetation (of which they get their water intake), grains, grass nuts, and some insects [6]. The Lesser Egyptian Jerboa Rodent is a small rodent of Africa and the Middle East. 1Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-GurionUniversity of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion Israel; 2Department of Zoology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, The Steinheardt National Museum of Natural History, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv Israel Are cryptic species of the Lesser Egyptian Jerboa, Jaculus jaculus (Rodentia, They have a body length between 7 and 9 cms (2.75 - 3.5 inches), a tail length up to 16 cms (6.3 inches) and they weigh between 23 and 38 g (0.8 - 1.3 oz). This colour usually matches the jerboa habitat (an example of cryptic colouration ). You can find Jerboas in both the sandy and stony deserts of North Africa, Arabia and Iran. Lesser jerboas have a lifespan of about 5-6 years in captivity [3]. Biology. Natural Range: Jerboas originate from the mostly hot deserts of Northern Africa, Arabia, and Central Asia [3]. Like many types of rodents, Jerboa are smart and evade predators using many tactics. Jerboas are highly-maneuverable bipedal hopping rodents.