What does a jerboa eat in the desert? Types of jerboas with descriptions and photos

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:53

An integral part of nature is the richest animal world of our planet. Our smaller brothers live in forests, steppes and deserts - various warm-blooded mammals. They need to be cared for and protected from poachers. Only in this case, future generations will be able to contemplate the amazing fauna of the Earth.

Today we will tell you about the jerboa - one of the funniest representatives of the largest order of mammals "rodents".

Habitat

Jerboa is a fairly large family of rodents; live on almost all continents. Namely, in the steppes, semi-deserts and deserts of the Palearctic. The latter refers to the following geographical regions:

• South of Europe.
• Asia north of the Himalayas, excluding the Arabian Peninsula.
• Northern Africa all the way to sub-Saharan Africa.

This section briefly answers the question of where the jerboa lives.

Appearance

Jerboa is a small rodent, reaching a length of 4 to 25 centimeters (depending on the species). Has a small body andlong tail with a brush. The funny thing is that the tail is sometimes longer than the body. The tassel acts as a rudder for long jumps - this is how the animal moves in a funny way.

The muzzle of the jerboa is rounded down. Two large eyes and two long ears clearly stand out on it. The teeth of a rodent are also interesting: their number varies from 16 to 18 pieces depending on the species, but the sharpness of the fangs is inherent in all representatives of this family.

The color of the rodent is represented by the richest palette of brown - from copper to beige. It depends on the color of the soil of the natural zone that the animal has chosen for life. For example, the steppe jerboa will have a light brown coat. The color will exactly match the color of the soil inherent in this strip. The jerboa in the desert will be more red to blend in with the endless sands that go beyond the horizon.

Wise nature decreed this way in order to protect a small animal from birds of prey.

Strengths and weaknesses of jerboas

Description of the jerboa is unthinkable without focusing on its interesting external features.

The following organs are developed in these rodents:

• Hind legs. All 26 species of jerboas have very strong hind legs. It is with their help that the animal can jump so fast and funny.
• Ears are big and long, clearly picking up all the sounds of the desert starry night.
• Moustache - length reaches to the heels. The most important sense of touch of these small mammals.

It is the organs listed above that are vital forjerboas. Due to the ears and whiskers, the small animal feels the approaching predator, and strong paws help the rodent quickly escape into a cozy mink.

But the sight and smell are poorly developed in jerboas.

Resemblance to a gourmet rat

A typical jerboa is surprisingly similar to the funny cartoon character Ratatouille. He is just as fast, smart and direct. Watching the life of this rodent is no less interesting than watching a fascinating cartoon by Brad Bird.

By the way, we strongly recommend that everyone watch "Ratatouille" in the original. The film is full of kindness, subtle humor and culinary delights. Gourmets will be delighted!

Nimble and timid nocturnal desert dweller

This chapter will tell you about the life of jerboas in the wild. These amazing rodents lead a certain lifestyle, consider its features:

• Isolation. Jerboas walk by themselves, and approach only for the reproduction of offspring.
• They stay awake at night and rest in their burrows during the day.
• Don't like to take risks. A small and nimble animal will never get out of its home unnecessarily, because it knows how dangerous and cruel the animal world is.
• They are excellent diggers. This skill is required to build underground dwellings. Very often, the rodent encounters compacted soil, which you can no longer rake with your front paws. In this case, sharp front fangs are used. In this example, you can again see how harmonious and correct Mother Nature is.

Underground dwellings

These little rodents are excellent builders and just love to build cozy minks. Jerboas build underground dwellings using sharp fangs and powerful front legs. They break through underground passages, sometimes reaching up to one and a half to two meters in depth. It is at this distance that the warm nests of jerboas are located. They are made of wool, fluff, moss and dry leaves. A jerboa builds a cozy abode for itself, the photo only confirms this.

Jerboas have homes:

• Temporary.
• Permanent.

The second, in turn, are divided into:

• Summer.
• Wintering.

Temporary dwellings of jerboas are simpler and located at shallow depths. The permanent burrow, on the other hand, is deep. The passage to it can be up to six meters long, and, in addition to the main labyrinth, the rodent necessarily makes additional branches for the exit.

Science knows cases of life of jerboas in abandoned ground squirrel burrows.

Winter dormouse and spring womanizer

All jerboas are characterized by hibernation. They fall into it with the onset of the first autumn cold (around October). The rodents rest in their burrows for about four months. True, sometimes they wake up for a short period of time. As a rule, this is associated with a sharp warming.

After a good night's sleep and digesting the calories accumulated over the summer, the jerboa is ready to breed. Spring is the mating season for these rodents. It ends 25 daysfemale pregnancy. On average, she gives birth to 3 to 6 cubs. For a month and a half, small rodents enjoy the care of their mother. At the end of this period, they leave their native nests and go to adulthood.

What does a desert jerboa eat?

These rodents are omnivores. But the greatest preference is given to food of plant origin. The true delicacies are various seeds, shoots and roots of plants. The rodent will not refuse from the nutritious seeds of watermelons, melons and cereals. If during the night the rodent failed to find a life-giving oasis with green vegetation, it may well be content with insects and their larvae.

Another interesting fact is that the jerboa does not drink water at all. The juices of those plants that he eats are enough for him. This section answers the question of what the jerboa eats in the desert.

Predators and natural facts that destroy jerboas

It is clear that desert animals can pose a danger. Jerboa should be avoided:

• Reptile.
• Large mammals.
• Birds of Prey (eagles and hawks).

Also, the anthropogenic factor greatly affects the population of jerboas. With the development of new natural territories by man (for example, the construction of high-rise buildings), the habitat of rodents also decreases.

This once again indicates that a person must reckon with the surrounding animal world.

Types of jerboa

Lizards, snakes, steppe wolves andtropical insects are typical desert animals. The jerboa is also a resident of these places.

Scientists have 26 different species of these mammals (where the jerboa lives, read on). On the territory of our country, these rodents live in the steppes and semi-deserts of southern Siberia. Their habitat covers the Altai Territory, Transbaikalia and the southern regions of the Republic of Tuva.

We will analyze the most interesting representatives of the jerboa family, including species that live in Russia. We will also tell you what the jerboa eats in the desert in more detail.

Long-eared jerboa

Inhabitant of the northern regions of China - Xinjiang and Alanashi. Sometimes found in the south of Siberia. It is clear that jerboas have no problems crossing the border.

It reaches 9 centimeters in length, has very long ears and antennae. The latter often reach the ground. The tail of this jerboa is longer than the body, and the brush at the end has a rounded shape. The coat color of the animal is gray with a reddish tint. The sides and belly are white, and the tassel on the tail is black. You can meet such a funny jerboa when traveling around the amazing Altai Territory. Exclusively at night only.

Five-toed pygmy jerboa

Until recently, it was considered exclusively an inhabitant of the Gobi Desert. But in 1961, a group of Soviet biologists led by Danila Berman discovered this species in the south of the Republic of Tuva.

The jerboa is very small: it reaches a length of 5 to 6 cm. The tail is the same sizeexceeds the body and is 8 cm. The eyes of the pygmy jerboa are typically large, and the ears, on the contrary, are small. The hind feet have five toes and are very well developed.

Five-toed pygmy jerboas are nocturnal. Minks are built in the spring at shallow depths. Sometimes they can borrow a home from their fellow Siberian jerboa.

What does a jerboa eat in the desert? A favorite delicacy is feather grass seeds. In the absence of these, it is content with insects.

Great jerboa (ground hare)

The largest representative of this family of rodents. In length it can reach up to 26 centimeters. The animal is distinguished by a long tail with a pretty brush, shaped like an elongated drop. The color of the earth hare is light brown, the shade of the skin changes depending on the habitat of the rodent.

Recognized as the northernmost jerboa in terms of habitat. Most often it can be found in the steppes of Kazakhstan and in southern Siberia; a little less often - along the southern tributaries of the Kama and Oka. Even residents of the Crimea sometimes notice an earthen hare that has climbed into the territory of some remote farm to eat delicious millet or rye seeds.

Earth hare is a graceful and beautiful jerboa. The photo speaks for itself.

Jumper Jerboa

This rodent is slightly smaller than the earthen hare. Its length reaches from 19 to 22 centimeters. The hair of the jumper is either ocher-brown or yellowish-gray. It feeds on seeds, green parts and bulbs of plants, as well as -insects.

Habitat - steppes and sandy deserts of Central Asia (South-Eastern Altai and Northern Uzbekistan). Often lives in the mountains at an altitude of up to two kilometers above sea level. Sometimes it is called steppe jerboa.

Emuranchik

Oddly enough, but this glorious animal is also a jerboa. The animal is quite small - it grows up to 12 centimeters. The tail, as always, exceeds the length of the body and reaches 16 centimeters.

Different from all other types of jerboas in that it lives in clay steppes and gravelly deserts. However, sometimes found on sandy soils.

This rare species is common in Russia. It lives in the Dnieper region, in the south of the Volga region and near the Irtysh River. Also, some animals of this species inhabit the steppes of Kazakhstan.

Pet or nocturnal desert dweller?

Of course a jerboa can be kept as a pet.

But will a true desert dweller be happy in a locked cage? Nature has endowed the jerboa with powerful hind legs so that it can jump and run in the wild, hunt for insect larvae and look for nutritious plant stems (the description of the jerboa is presented above). Locked up, he will not be able to fulfill his natural needs. Therefore, the answer is obvious - the correct habitat of the jerboa is, of course, wildlife.

Fun facts:

• Moves exclusively on two hind legs.
• Fleeing from a predator, speeds up to 40 km/h.
• Real clean, not like some upright! Behindnight amazing animal takes care of its fur from 20 to 30 times.
• Some types of jerboa are so small they can easily fit into a tablespoon.
• During the day, the rodent independently regulates its body temperature. Sometimes fluctuations are as much as 15 degrees! This is due to the very large difference between day and night temperatures in the desert. For example, in the Negev (this is a desert in the Middle East), it can be + 30 during the day, and only + 9 at night. That is why desert animals are perfectly adapted to extreme pressure and temperature drops.
• Excess fat accumulates in the animal's tail. It is from it that one can judge the state of he alth of a particular jerboa.

The world of jerboas is interesting and multifaceted. We have considered only a small part of the interesting features of these funny animals. Nature has generously endowed jerboas with the necessary skills that help them survive in the cruel, but surprisingly interesting world of deserts.