The Iranian jerboa (''Allactaga firouzi'') is a rodent of the family

Dipodidae Jerboas (from ar, جربوع ') are hopping desert Rodent, rodents found throughout North Africa and Asia, and are members of the family Dipodidae. They tend to live in hot deserts. When chased, jerboas can run at up to . Some species are pre ...

and subfamily

Allactaginae Allactaginae is a subfamily of rodents. Classification Subfamily Allactaginae *Genus ''Allactaga'' **''incertae sedis'' ***''Allactaga toussi'' **Subgenus ''Allactaga (Allactaga), Allactaga'' ***Small five-toed jerboa, ''Allactaga elater'' *** ...

. They are characteristically known as hopping

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...

s and have only been found in a small population in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. Iranian jerboa are

microhabitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

specialist, they require a particular environment to provide them with specific conditions suitable for living.Naderi, Gholamreza. "Investigation of Habitat Preferences of Iranian Jerboa." MammaliaWinter 75.2 (2011): 183. ArticleReach. Web. 15 Sept. 2013.

Physical appearance

Similar to the other jerboas in the genus ''

Allactaga The genus ''Allactaga'' contains the four and five-toed jerboas of Asia. They are small mammals belonging to the order of rodents. They are characteristically known as the hopping rodents of the desert and semi-arid regions. They have long hind f ...

'', the Iranian jerboa are small hopping rodents of desert regions and have large ears and a long tail. The tail assists and serves as support when the jerboa is standing upright. They have long hind feet and short forelegs. The forelimbs of the jerboa serve as a pair of hands for feeding, grooming, etc.

Predation

Iranian jerboas were found on flat

plain In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands ...

s with a gravel and little

vegetation Vegetation is an assemblage of plant species and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic character ...

. Low vegetation areas help them see

predator Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

s more easily, allowing them to return to

burrow An Eastern chipmunk at the entrance of its burrow A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to construct a space suitable for habitation or temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of sh ...

s quickly. Similar to most jerboas, the Iranian Jerboa avoids brightly moonlit nights to decrease the chance of predation.

Phylogeny

Compared to other jerboas in the same genus, Iranian jerboas are most related to ''

Allactaga hotsoni Hotson's jerboa or the Iranian jerboa (''Allactaga hotsoni''), is a species of rodent in the family Dipodidae. It is found in Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan. Taxonomy Hotson's jerboa was first described in 1920 by the British zoologist Oldfiel ...

''.

Burrows/tunnels

It is a

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

Iranian Jerboa (''Allactaga firouzi'')
Edgeofexistence.org (2006-08-09). Retrieved on 2012-12-29.Dipodidae – birch mice, jerboas, jumping mice
Wildlife Journal Junior. Nhptv.org. Retrieved on 2012-12-29. animal, spending the day in burrows. The Iranian Jerboas are one of the few jerboas that have different types of burrows. They make a different burrow in the summer and winter. The winter burrows have deeper tunnels, for protection during hibernation from predators and harsh winters.Mohammadi, Saeed. "Burrow System of Iranian Jerboa (Allactaga Firouzi Womochel)." Acta Zoologica Mexicana 26.2 (2010): 457. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Sept. 2013.

Diet

This jerboa has a vegetarian diet of ''

Anabasis Anabasis (from Greek ''ana'' = "upward", ''bainein'' = "to step or march") is an expedition from a coastline into the interior of a country. Anabase and Anabasis may also refer to: History * ''Anabasis Alexandri'' (''Anabasis of Alexander''), a ...

'' and ''

Peganum harmala ''Peganum harmala'', commonly called wild rue, Syrian rue, African rue, esfand or espand,Mahmoud OmidsalaEsfand: a common weed found in Persia, Central Asia, and the adjacent areasEncyclopedia Iranica Vol. VIII, Fasc. 6, pp. 583–584. Originall ...

''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1762656 Dipodidae EDGE species Jerboa, Iranian Endemic fauna of Iran Mammals described in 1978