The four-toed jerboa (Allactaga tetradactyla ) is a rodent of the family Dipodidae and genus Allactaga that has four digits. It is the sole species in the subgenus Scarturus. Four-toed jerboas are native to Egypt and Libya. They live in coastal salt marshes and dry deserts.
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
Jumping (saltation) can be distinguished from running, galloping, and other gaits where the entire body is temporarily airborne by the relatively l...
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starts withSimilar to the other jerboas in the genus Allactaga, the four-toed jerboa are small hopping rodents with large ears and a long tail, with a black band near the white, feathery tip. The tail assists and serves as support when the jerboa is standing upright. They have long hind feet and short forelegs. The pelt of the four-toed jerboa is velvety in texture and the upper-parts are speckled black and orange, the rump orange, and the sides gray. The four-toed jerboa hind-limbs have an extra digit compared to other jerboas in the genus Allactaga. The extra digit is smaller in size and nonfunctional compared to the other three digits.
Emerging at night, the four-toed jerboa eats grass, leaves, and soft seeds. The low crown molars and soft palates help the four-toed jerboa chew plant material and seeds.
The four-toed jerboa is a host of the Acanthocephalan intestinal parasite Moniliformis aegyptiacus.
The four-toed jerboa was listed as an animal on the Endangered Species List by the IUCN Red List. They are facing a very high risk of extinction due to habitat loss and restricted range.
