I happened across an article the other night about some of the tiniest mammals in the world.  One of them I’d never heard of caught my eye.  It didn’t look like any animal I’d ever seen before.  It was called a Pygmy Jerboa, and chances are the name is as foreign to you as it was to me.  I have this great little animal encyclopedia so I went straight to it to see if I could find this strange creature there, and sure enough, there he was!

Here, let me introduce you…

Jerboa

PHYLUM: Vertebrata

CLASS: Mammalia

ORDER: Rodentia

FAMILY: Dipodidae

The Jerboa is a small rodent that weighs between 1.75 & 2.45 ounces and inhabits the deserts, treeless plains and other dry areas of northern Africa and Asia, surviving on fruits, seeds, and insects.  They are nocturnal, and leave their burrow at night only after the sweltering heat of the day has passed.  Jerboas have very sharp hearing and excellent eyesight and their whiskers, which are as long as their body, are constantly searching the ground.  They have short front legs, but very long hind legs that allow them to jump like a kangaroo, with a long tail that helps with balance.  Because of the sandy tan color of the Jerboa’s fur, they can disappear into their surroundings well, protecting them from predators, and can escape from potential danger with a lightning speed.  The Pygmy Jerboa, as its name suggests, is an even smaller Jerboa, and is found only in the sand dune deserts of Pakistan, weighing an average of a mere 0.132 ounces (3.75 grams).