Greater Egyptian Jerboa

The Greater Egyptian jerboa (Jaculus orientalis) is a small desert rodent that hops on its long back legs like a tiny kangaroo. It lives in the dry lands of North Africa and the Middle East and is perfectly adapted to life in the hot, sandy desert.

Scientific Classification & Quick Facts

Common name	Greater Egyptian jerboa
Scientific name	Jaculus orientalis
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Mammalia
Order	Rodentia
Family	Dipodidae
Genus	Jaculus
Conservation status	Least Concern
Type	Jumping desert rodent
Diet	Herbivore: desert truffles and plants
Habitat	Dry shrubland, farmland and sandy coasts
Native range	North Africa, Israel and Saudi Arabia
Size	Body 7-15 cm; tail up to 20 cm
Weight	About 140 g
Colours	Pale, sandy coat

A Jumping Rodent

Jerboas belong to the family Dipodidae, a group of jumping rodents that live in the deserts and dry grasslands of North Africa and Asia. There are more than 30 kinds of jerboas, and the Greater Egyptian jerboa is one of the larger ones.

Jerboas may look like a mix of animal parts: kangaroo legs, mouse body, rabbit-like ears and a long tufted tail. But every part helps them survive in the desert.

Anatomy

The Greater Egyptian jerboa has very long hind legs and feet, which it uses for hopping, and much shorter front legs with claws for digging and holding food. Its fur is sandy brown on top and white underneath, helping it blend in with the desert ground.

Its large eyes help it see at night, and its big ears pick up the sound of approaching predators. The tail is longer than the body and ends in a black-and-white tuft. The tail helps the jerboa balance while jumping and acts as a support when it stands upright.

• Body length: about 12 to 16 cm (5 to 6 inches)
• Tail length: about 18 to 25 cm (7 to 10 inches)
• Weight: usually around 100 to 200 g (3.5 to 7 ounces)

Habitat

Greater Egyptian jerboas are found across North Africa, including Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, and into Sinai and southern Israel. They live in dry, sandy and stony deserts, semi-desert scrubland, coastal sand dunes and sometimes farmland at the desert’s edge.

To escape the burning heat of the day, they dig burrows in the sand or hard ground. They often plug the entrance with sand to keep the burrow cool and moist inside. In colder parts of their range, they may hibernate in their burrows through the winter.

Behavior

Jerboas are nocturnal. They spend the day sleeping in their burrows and come out at night to search for food. They usually live alone, each in its own burrow, though several may live near each other in a good area.

When they need to get away from danger, they move in long, zigzagging leaps that are hard for predators to follow. A frightened jerboa can jump well over a meter (several feet) in a single bound. Predators include owls, foxes, snakes and wild cats.

Diet

Greater Egyptian jerboas eat mostly plants: seeds, roots, bulbs, leaves and other green plant parts. They also dig up underground fungi such as desert truffles and sometimes eat insects.

They can survive with very little drinking water, getting most of the moisture they need from their food. Their kidneys are very good at saving water, which is a key desert survival skill.

Breeding

Jerboas usually breed in spring after the winter rest, and sometimes again later in the year. The female has a litter of a few babies in her burrow. The young are born blind and helpless and grow much more slowly than many other rodents of their size. Their long back legs develop gradually, and they only start hopping on two legs after several weeks.

Should Jerboas Be Pets?

Jerboas are wild animals and are not good pets for most people. They are shy, easily stressed and active only at night. In many countries it is illegal or very hard to keep them, and only a few zoos and specialist keepers have them. They are best enjoyed in nature films and wildlife parks.

Zoos and experienced specialists who care for jerboas need a very large, escape-proof enclosure with deep sand for burrowing, as these animals can leap high and fast when startled. They also need the right warmth, low humidity and a steady day-night cycle.

Their diet in captivity is designed to copy what they eat in the wild: a mix of seeds such as millet, fresh vegetables and greens, sprouts such as alfalfa, a little hay and occasional insects. Any changes should be made with advice from an exotic animal vet.

Handling

Jerboas do not like being handled. They rarely bite, but a scared jerboa will struggle and kick hard with its powerful back legs, and it can easily injure itself trying to escape. They should be watched, not cuddled.

Interesting Facts

• A jerboa’s back feet have tufts of stiff hair underneath that work like snowshoes on loose sand.
• Jerboas can change direction in mid-jump, helping them escape predators.
• Close relatives of jerboas are found as far away as the Gobi Desert in Mongolia and China.

Greater Egyptian jerboa FAQs

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