Jerboa

Jerboa
Temporal range: Middle Miocene–recent
"Allactaga tetradactyla"
Scarturus tetradactylus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Superfamily: Dipodoidea
Family: Dipodidae
Fischer de Waldheim, 1817
Subfamilies

Jerboas (/dʒɜːrˈboʊə/ ⓘ) are hopping desert rodents found throughout North Africa and Asia,[1] and are members of the family Dipodidae. They tend to live in hot deserts.[1]

When chased, jerboas can run at up to 24 km/h (15 mph).[1] Some species are preyed on by little owls (Athene noctua) in central Asia. Most species of jerboas have excellent hearing that they use to avoid becoming the prey of nocturnal predators. The typical lifespan of a jerboa is around 2–3 years.[2]

  1. ^ a b c Burton, Maurice; Burton, Robert (1970). The International Wildlife Encyclopedia. Marshall Cavendish. p. 1323. ISBN 978-0-7614-7266-7.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference ADW was invoked but never defined (see the help page).