Thick-tailed Pygmy Jerboa

About this species

Size

Body about 4.5–5.5 cm; tail slightly longer

Diet

Small invertebrates and seeds

Habitat

Temperate desert and dry grassland

The thick-tailed pygmy jerboa is a minute desert rodent with a body about 4.5–5.5 centimetres long and a tail slightly longer than the head and body. It has a large head, small eyes and short, tubular ears. Fat stored near the base can visibly thicken the tail. Like other pygmy jerboas it is adapted for hopping on elongated hind limbs, but its tiny size, reduced ears and swollen tail base form a particularly useful combination of identification features. (Wikipedia, thick-tailed pygmy jerboa account)

This solitary nocturnal jerboa occurs in temperate desert and dry grassland in Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan. Its permanent burrow may contain many passages extending for several metres, with entrances sealed by loose sand. When exposed, an animal may attempt to bury itself. It obtains much of its water from food, eating grasshoppers, spiders and other small invertebrates together with seeds and other plant matter. Breeding occurs in spring and summer, when females bear litters of two to five young. (Wikipedia, thick-tailed pygmy jerboa account)

Description: Wildlife of Mongolia guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)