What does a jerboa eat in the desert? Types of jerboas with descriptions and photos. Desert dweller jerboa: photos, pictures and description of the animal Features of the behavior of mammals in open nature

Living in the steppe, desert and semi-desert regions, unusual jerboa animals in the pictures and photos are very similar to mice. However, this rodent is distinguished by large ears and short forelimbs. This funny representative of the largest order of mammals lives on almost all continents of the world and has 26 different species.

Description, photos and varieties of the jerboa rodent

Depending on the species, the jerboa may have body length from 5 to 30 cm. The animal has a dense and short head, thin legs and a long tail. In addition, jerboas are different:

• short torso;
• flattened muzzle;
• rounded unusually long ears;
• big eyes;
• almost imperceptible neck;
• long, strong hind limbs with elongated feet;
• black and white tassel at the end of the tail;
• thick and soft fur of yellow-gray color.

Jerboas move by jumping, folding their front short legs on their chest. This movement is very similar to jumping kangaroos. The rodent chooses the direction with the help of the tail, which plays the role of a rudder.

Animals have 16 or 18 teeth. In addition to the fact that they gnaw food with their incisors, they also loosen the soil with their help. Then the loosened soil is already dug by the limbs.

Types of jerboas with a photo

On the territory of Russia, these rodents inhabit semi-deserts and steppes of southern Siberia. The most interesting representatives of the jerboa family are the following species:

Lifestyle

Large eyes and large ears suggest that jerboas are nocturnal residents. They leave their minks about half an hour after sunset, and look for food all night long. To do this, they can walk up to five kilometers. Before dawn, the animal returns to its burrow, where it sleeps all day.

jerboas There are four types of minks:

1. The permanent burrow is equipped with several entrances. The main entrance has a slope, and the rest come almost to the surface and are spare. The main passage leads to the living chamber, in which the animal arranges a “bed” with the help of crushed blades of grass.
2. Temporary day holes. The length of such dwellings is from 20 to 50 cm. In order to keep humidity and coolness in them, the entrance is clogged with a sand or earth plug.
3. Rescue holes. These are simple passages in which the animals hide. Their depth is from 10 to 20 cm.
4. Winter burrows. Such dwellings have a wintering chamber and underground storerooms at a depth of 1.5-2.5 meters.

In winter, many types of jerboas fall into hibernation. This happens around October and lasts for four months. If warming suddenly sets in in winter, the animals may wake up for a short time.

Jerboa nutrition

Rodents are omnivorous, but prefer plant foods. Their diet consists mainly of seeds, roots and shoots of various plants. They also love seeds of cereals, melons and watermelons. If during the night in the desert the animal does not find any plant food, then it can catch and eat with pleasure any insect or its larvae. Jerboas do not drink water at all. They lack the juice of the plants they eat.

Life span and reproduction

As soon as jerboas come out of hibernation, they have breeding season begins. This period usually begins in mid-March - early April and continues until autumn. There are 1 to 3 litters per year.

Pregnancy of the female lasts about 25 days. From 1 to 8 cubs can be born at a time. For two months, the babies live with their parents, after which they begin an independent life. Young rodents reach sexual maturity by the age of two.

In the wild, jerboas live a little over three years. Their lifespan here depends on natural enemies. Rodents should be afraid:

• birds of prey;
• large mammals;
• reptiles.

If the animal lives in captivity, then its life span increases significantly.

Jerboas at home

If you decide to have such an animal, then in the house he needs to create conditions close to natural. It is recommended to keep jerboas in large cages or aviaries. It must be remembered, however, that animals able to jump to great heights. In relation to each other, rodents show aggression, therefore several individuals cannot be kept in one cage.

At the bottom of the dwelling you need to pour sand or cover it with turf. Pet bedding should be soft. The advantage of sod is also that it is possible to dig holes in it. This process is very important for the inhabitants of the desert. In addition, sand must be freely available, since rodents need sand baths.

The cage must be equipped with:

• drinker;
• bowl for food;
• material for a nesting house in the form of dry grass, roots, sticks.

Since jerboas are very clean, they will clean their coats on their own and take a certain place for the toilet. Therefore, it is necessary to clean their cage regularly.

Rodents get used to humans hard. In nocturnal animals, contact with people causes stress, as a result of which the animal disruption of life. And even if after a while the pet ceases to be afraid of its owner and even goes to his arms, he will still remain a wild animal. That is why it is not recommended to let the jerboa out of the cage, because at the first opportunity it will run away.

It is quite difficult to see a jerboa in nature. They are very shy and even listed in the Red Book, as they are one of the rarest animals on our planet. Pictures and photos of various types of jerboas can be seen in our photo gallery.

Animal jerboa

Jerboas, small animals belonging to the order of rodents and living in desert, semi-desert and steppe regions of the world.

All jerboas resemble mice in appearance, with the only difference being that jerboas have very short forelimbs, and these animals do not use them when moving. In addition, all jerboas have large ears, the size of which depends on the species of animals.

The best known are the desert or African jerboa, the large jerboa or ground hare, and the long-eared jerboa.

A large jerboa or earthen hare weighs only 300 grams, its body length does not exceed twenty centimeters, but the tail of a large jerboa has a length of about thirty centimeters and is decorated at the tip with a fluffy tassel. This animal lives mainly in the arid regions of Eurasia. The earthen hare was nicknamed the jerboa because, with an outward resemblance to an ordinary hare, the jerboa lives in holes and spends all its time there during the day and only after dark is shown on the surface. The animals move by jumping, often developing a speed of about 50 km / h.

A large jerboa hibernates in the cold period, for which it prepares in the warm season, accumulating a layer of fat and doubling its weight at this time. The animal is a hardworking digger, tirelessly digging holes even in the most dense soil.

The jerboa feeds mainly on plant foods, but does not refuse insects and their larvae. The big jerboa is a lover of loneliness. An exception occurs during the mating season, when the animals are looking for a mate for a while.

The long-eared jerboa is a miniature inhabitant of the desert territories of Mongolia and China. This animal is considered endangered, therefore it is strictly protected by law.

The body length of this miniature desert dweller is only ninety millimeters, the tail is 160 millimeters, and the ears of the animal relative to its body are considered huge and are 43 millimeters. Long-eared jerboas are active only at night, move by jumping, and feed mainly on insects.

The most common jerboa is the sand or African jerboa. It can be found in many desert regions of Asia and Africa.

Like all known jerboas, the desert one is active at night and spends the daytime in burrows.

All jerboas have many natural enemies. Therefore, they have adapted to flee from predators by jumping and hiding in burrows, where they wait out the heat of the day and the winter cold.

And now, a photo collection of jerboas.

Photo. Jerboa family.

Video - “Small jerboa. Shirvan National Park. Azerbaijan."

The jerboa leaves the chase. Unique video.

and another video:

And now, a "civilized", domestic jerboa.

Photo 1 of 3

jerboas live mainly in Africa and Asia, but some species live in Europe and one in North America. Jerboas in appearance resemble. Thanks to their long hind legs, they easily jump over distances up to 20 times their body length. All species have a thick, soft, sandy-colored coat, since all jerboas love to settle in grassy steppes and dry plains.

These animals live in shallow burrows with many emergency exits, in case of a swift flight. In case of danger, the jerboa rushes headlong into its hole, uttering a screech similar to the cry of young kittens. Only the largest of the jerboas defend themselves with their hind legs, like.

For humans, these creatures are completely harmless and quite often settle near human habitation. These animals are easily tamed and with their qualities win over everyone. They are very harmless, affectionate, tame, clean, and in a cheerful state they are so frisky and cheerful that you can admire them for hours.

Jerboas feed on plants and insects, and some species feed on birds and their eggs. They have 5-7 cubs per litter. An interesting fact is that in some areas of Central Asia, jerboas are called "midshipmen". Isn't it very strange that a steppe animal suddenly received a sea nickname.

The jerboa is a small rodent that lives in desert and semi-desert and steppe landscapes. This animal resembles a mouse on thin and long legs. It has a thick, short, small head. On the nose are long sensitive antennae. At the end of the long tail is a fluffy tassel.

The jerboa moves by jumping. The hind limbs are involved in jumping. The jerboa's tail is used as a rudder. When jumping, the front legs of the jerboa are crossed on the chest and pressed to the chin. The body of the rodent is covered with soft thick fur. It is yellowish-brown, sometimes with an admixture of a gray tint.

These unusual creatures live in shallow, but highly branched minks with exits. Jerboas are nocturnal animals. They feed on cereal seeds, stems, grass, leaves of various plants. They like to feast on roots, tubers, bulbs of steppe plants, and do not refuse insects.

In the spring, babies are born - up to 8 pieces. Newborn females are breastfed. Then the cubs are gradually transferred to adult food.

In winter, jerboas fall into a shallow hibernation. There are different types of jerboas. The largest of them is the earth hare. In length, its body reaches up to 30 cm. The smallest, smallest species is dwarf. Its body length is only 5 cm.

Jerboas are very rare animals. They are listed in the Red Book.

A selection of photos of jerboas

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.

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Appearance of the animal

This eared animal has a relatively short body. It can be from 19 to 26 cm in length. The jerboa, the description of which can be continued with a long tail (its size is up to 31 cm), has a weight of about 0.2-0.3 kg. His head is rounded, has a pronounced cervical interception. Ears can reach a length of 60 mm. The feet of the animal are quite long. In size, they can be up to 40-45% of the body length.

Like all desert animals, the jerboa is colored in ocher, yellow or gray colors. The cheeks of the animal are almost white. A white stripe runs along the outer side of the thigh in the transverse direction. His tail ends in a white tassel with a black end. In shape, this formation resembles a bird's feather. As mentioned above, the desert jerboa has ears longer than their steppe counterparts.

These animals are distributed over a very large area in Central Asia. There are animals on the African continent.

Gallery: big jerboa (35 photos)

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Lifestyle

Steppe jerboas keep near dirt roads or in open areas with grass. In Kazakhstan and in the south of Western Siberia, it settles on solonchak soils, on the banks of steppe rivers or salt lakes. In deserts, it prefers to live on loamy soils. It can live in the mountains at altitudes up to 1600 m.

Chilean degu squirrel: description, conditions of keeping the animal

In the steppe and desert leads a solitary lifestyle. It rarely comes into contact with similar animals. At home, you can not keep 2 or more jerboas at the same time, as they become aggressive towards each other.

Usually jerboas move on their hind legs at a trot or run, but can, if necessary, switch to a rebound, pushing first with one and then with the other lower limb. The jerboa is a jumper, and it has a jump length of about 1.2 m. The speed of movement of the animal is quite large - up to 50 km / h. The described species of these animals does not make big jumps when running, and quickly breaks away from the pursuers with powerful, smooth jolts.

The animal digs rather complex permanent holes. There he lives in summer or winter. The animal also has temporary minks. The horizontal part of the main burrow can stretch for 5-6 m, and then from it in the middle there is a steep downward slope, which reaches the nesting burrow, deepened by 0.5-1 m. There is an exit on the other side of the horizontal passage. There are also several emergency exits. The nest is spherical, made of moss, feathers, wool, dry grass and down. The winter burrow is deep (up to 200-250 cm), has 2 nesting chambers.

The animal usually sleeps in winter. He wakes up in March or April. Pregnancy in a female lasts 20-25 days, there can be 2 broods in 12 months. Usually about 5-6 cubs are born. They live with their mother for 45-50 days. Sexual maturity in young jerboas is reached in the second year of life. In nature, these animals live up to 2-3 years.

In autumn, after the first frosts, jerboas hibernate, which can last from 4 to 6 months, depending on the animal's habitat. During the thaw, the animals may wake up. They do not make winter stocks, but eat up in the summer so that their weight increases by 1.5-2 times, and a thick layer of fat forms under the skin.