Euphrates jerboa

Euphrates jerboa
Conservation status

Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Dipodidae
Genus: Allactaga
Subgenus: Paralactaga
Species: A. euphratica
Binomial name
Allactaga euphratica
Thomas, 1881

The Euphrates jerboa (Allactaga euphratica) is a rodent of the Dipodidae family and Allactaga genus.[2] They are characteristically known as hopping rodents. They have been found in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and also occurs very marginally in south-eastern Turkey.[3] The Euphrates jerboa's natural habitats are semi-deserts, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland and hot deserts.[4]

Physical appearance

Similar to the other jerboas in the Allactaga genus, the Euphrates 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.[5] They have “long hind feet and short forelegs, and always walk upright”.[6] The forelimbs of the Euphrates Jerboa serve as a pair of hands for feeding, grooming, etc.[7] The male Euphrates jerboa is usually larger in size and weight in comparison to the female.[8]

Reproduction

The Euphrates jerboa reproductive activity depends on the seasons. Females may give birth to up to nine young. In Turkey, breeding season spans from March to July. In Iraq, breeding season ranges from February to May. It is possible for the female to have three litters per year.[9] The Euphrates Jerboa is born an average weight of 2.74 grams.[10]

Conservation status

The Euphrates jerboa was listed on the Near Threatened List by the IUCN Red List. They may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future.

References

  1. ↑ Kryštufek, B. (2008). Allactaga euphratica. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
  2. ↑ Holden, M. E. and G. G. Musser. 2005. Family Dipodidae. Pp. 871-893 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
  3. ↑ Arslan, Atilla. "C-banding and Ag-NOR Distribution Patterns in Euphrates Jerboa, Allactaga Eupharatica." Mammalia Winter 76.4 (2012): 435. ArticleReach. Web. 17 Sept. 2013.
  4. ↑ Kryštufek, B. "Allactaga Euphratica." IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. N.p., 2008. Web. 01 Oct. 2013. <http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/854/0>.
  5. ↑ Kirmiz, John P. Adaptation to Desert Environment; A Study on the Jerboa, Rat and Man. London: Butterworths, 1962. 17. Print.
  6. ↑ Lagassé, Paul. "Jerboa." The Columbia Encyclopedia. 6th ed. New York: Columbia UP, 2000. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 Oct. 2013.
  7. ↑ Kirmiz, John P. Adaptation to Desert Environment; A Study on the Jerboa, Rat and Man. London: Butterworths, 1962. 29. Print.
  8. ↑ Kirmiz, John P. Adaptation to Desert Environment; A Study on the Jerboa, Rat and Man. London: Butterworths, 1962. 19. Print.
  9. ↑ Kryštufek, B. "Allactaga Euphratica." IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. N.p., 2008. Web. 01 Oct. 2013. <http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/854/0>.
  10. ↑ Ercüment, Colak. "Ecology and Biology of Allactaga Elater, Allactaga Euphratica and Allactaga Williamsi (Rodentia: Dipodidae) in Turkey." Tr. J. of Zoology (1996): 105.Tr. J. of Zoology. Web. 3 Oct. 2013. <http://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/zoology/issues/zoo-98-22-2/zoo-22-2-3-97042.pdf>.