Mammals · Rodentia · Dipodidae

Long-eared Jerboa

Euchoreutes naso

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The long-eared jerboa is a nocturnal rodent of the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts, so distinctive that it occupies an entire genus and subfamily on its own. It moves in hops on disproportionately large hind legs, the soles covered in stiff bristles that give it traction on loose sand, and uses its long, tufted tail as a counterweight. It hunts insects by leaping onto them in mid-air, guided by hearing. It is one of the hundred EDGE priority species for its evolutionary distinctiveness.

Weight

24 g – 38 g

Size

7 cm – 9 cm

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

DesertInsectivore Nocturnal Solitary Desert Mammal

17countries 7parks1same family

Fun facts

It has the largest ears in proportion to the body of any mammal: they are about a third of its body length.
It was not filmed alive in the wild until 2007, on a Zoological Society of London expedition to the Gobi Desert.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Sandy valleys with low scrub in the deserts of Mongolia and north-west China

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/