Long-eared jerboa filmed for the first time

This has been an exceptionally good year concerning the discovery of new species!

An "extraordinary" desert creature has been caught on camera for what scientists believe is the first time.

The long-eared jerboa, a tiny nocturnal mammal that is dwarfed by its enormous ears, can be found in deserts in Mongolia and China.

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Looks like something between a kangaroo, a mouse and a rabbit. Cute little fellow.

Again some good news for the Crypto community! This beautiful little rodent was filmed for the very first time - again confirming that there are creatures out there that have not been filmed, and creatures we know very little about.

One more piece of evidence that supports the idea of legendary creatures being out there somewhere.

Thanks Gem, this is quite a little fellow! Probably can hear footsteps from a mile away.

i supose the scientists will try and cut it up.

and some rich brat will want one as a pet so hunters will try and catch it on a mass scale and nearly make it extinct so people can have themas pets and then get bored of them just like other animals eg chinchillasand the hairless guinea pig.

i wish in a way they never find these animals

OMG it's so cute I want it n_n. Amazing though that this year has been full of more and more discoveries. Could it mean something or are more people paying attention?

Hahahha it's pikachu. Look at the video when he's digging in the sand. It's so cute;D

Originally posted by kerrichin
i supose the scientists will try and cut it up.

and some rich brat will want one as a pet so hunters will try and catch it on a mass scale and nearly make it extinct so people can have themas pets and then get bored of them just like other animals eg chinchillasand the hairless guinea pig.

i wish in a way they never find these animals

Wow... someone's extremely cynical.

The long-eared jerboa is one of the most adorable animals I've ever seen. Ahh. Look at those ears. It reminds me of the fennec fox that also lives in the desert.



Can someone answer this for me; how are giant ears an adaptation for the desert?

reply to post by Gemwolf



damn you....i was about to make a thread on this very thing...lol

news.uk.msn.com...

An endangered Mongolian rodent described as "the Mickey Mouse of the desert" has been thrust into the spotlight in a bid to ensure its survival.

The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has released the first known footage of the long-ear jerboa, which looks like a mouse-sized kangaroo with enormous ears.

The little jumping rodent was filmed hopping about in its natural habitat in the Gobi desert by the scientists from the ZSL's Edge programme, which focuses its efforts on animals which are "evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered".

The jerboa, found in the deserts of Mongolia and China, is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List.

Can someone answer this for me; how are giant ears an adaptation for the desert?

Well the obvious, hearing predators and prey. Also and more specific to your question- there are many blood vessles in the ears of such animals, this helps in cooling the blood, and thus the animal.

Originally posted by Paresthesia
Can someone answer this for me; how are giant ears an adaptation for the desert?

XigXag is spot on with the "cooling" purpose (See cooling by periphery). The second part - yes it can be to hear those predators coming, but more importantly it's to help catch the prey. The bat-eared fox or Fennec Fox as with your example proves the point. Because food is so scarce in the desert you need extra adaptation to find the prey. These foxes for instance are mostly insectivorous (as with the long-eared jerboa). They patrol the desert surface with their ears close to the ground, listening for the faintest sounds of underground insect activity. Their ears are almost like metal detectors, only it detects insect.

(I tried to find a video showing these "hunting" methods, but sadly couldn't find any...)

reply to post by Paresthesia


At the risk of sounding well, not so manly, you'd be hard pressed to find a face like that of the fennec fox.

Man, that fur looks soft!

*clears throat* So, anyone see that game Sunday?

Originally posted by Paresthesia

Originally posted by kerrichin
i supose the scientists will try and cut it up.

and some rich brat will want one as a pet so hunters will try and catch it on a mass scale and nearly make it extinct so people can have themas pets and then get bored of them just like other animals eg chinchillasand the hairless guinea pig.

i wish in a way they never find these animals

Wow... someone's extremely cynical.

no just stating the truth.
its a fact that scientists cant leave things alone.
you just have to go to your nearest natural history museam tosee all the stuffed animals that have been killed and stuffed for ''science''
leave them alone leave somethings to the emagination, also leave them alone for there sake.

and just look at chinchillas, they were hunted for their fur to the point of extinction and now there are hardly any left in the wild.
and those little dog things that the likes of paris hilton or britney speares have they are just fashion statements once they are classed as''uncool'' they will be found at the nearest resue centre probally being uthenised because the centres have got to many and cant cope.

reply to post by XigXag


its for it can loss more hear ( heat comes out of the animals ears ) and for it can hear it prey

thanks for posting this thread OP.
it's not often enough that we get a glimpse into the seemingly not-so-important world of nature and its discoveries.

amazing little guy with dual purpose radiator/tracking devices.

amidst all the reports of species declination, it's refreshing to hear of all the new found life that is here and living well. (see also the arctic ice shelf collapse and what many new surprises it turned out to show us)

thanks for posting this positive encounter.

reply to post by ZikhaN

That was funny. What a weird little creature. wonder why such large ears?

Great, as soon as my girlfriend see's this she is going to want one....

reply to post by Paresthesia


Very simple -- body heat control.

Oh!! that little creature is CUTE i want to kiss that little beauty =)

Cute. I love rodents.

You do realize it will be extinct long before they have more data or pictures of it...as soon as someone realizes it may be:

1) Edible
2) A great pet (it will be bred and cross bred to extinction)
3) Competing for and/or contaminating food sources
4) Only able to live in certain areas that are being encroached upon by people with cameras

Personally I say #1 will be the cute little bugger's demise.

I am a pessimist today.

Originally posted by kerrichin
i supose the scientists will try and cut it up.

and some rich brat will want one as a pet so hunters will try and catch it on a mass scale and nearly make it extinct so people can have themas pets and then get bored of them just like other animals eg chinchillasand the hairless guinea pig.

i wish in a way they never find these animals

Logical fallacy: slippery slope.