One of the 3 jerboas on WAnimals
Mammals · Rodentia · Dipodidae
Lesser Egyptian Jerboa
Jaculus jaculus
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
It can leap as far as 1.5 metres at full speed, covering up to 10 kilometres in a single night's foraging. It digs spiral burrows with several hidden exits, as much as 1.2 metres deep.
Weight
43 g – 73 g
Size
9.5 cm – 11 cm
Lifespan
4 years
Diet
Herbivore
Feeds mainly on plants.
Activity
Nocturnal
Active mainly at night.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Fun facts
- locomociónIt bounds on its long hind legs much like a small kangaroo, reaching considerable speed to escape night predators.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
- Habitat & environment
- Sand and gravel deserts of North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and parts of Central Asia
- Birth weight
- Exact weight at birth not found as a precise figure
- Size at birth
- Born naked, with fore and hind limbs of equal length (unlike the adult), dragging itself along on its forelegs for the first few weeks
- Sexual maturity
- 8-12 months
- Gestation / incubation
- Varies by source (the figures do not agree; possibly between 25 and 40 days)
- Litter / clutch size
- 2 to 5 young per litter (3 most often), at least twice a year
- Lifespan in captivity
- Documented record of up to 6-7.3 years in captivity
Sources consulted: AnAge; Animalia.bio; Animal Diversity Web; Website of Everything; Encyclopedia of Life; Wikipedia; PMC
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapBest time: All year round in the Sahara, the Middle East and Arabia, at night; its leaps and its two-footed trail are unmistakable on the sand.
Where to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 26 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Lesser Egyptian Jerboa — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Long-eared Jerboa
Euchoreutes naso
Common Genet
Genetta genetta
Least ConcernCaracal
Caracal caracal
Sand Cat
Felis margarita
Least ConcernDesert Hedgehog
Paraechinus aethiopicus
North African Hedgehog
Atelerix algirus
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