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Jerboa
Jerboas () are the members of the family Dipodidae. They are hopping desert rodents found throughout North Africa and Asia. They tend to live in hot deserts. When chased, jerboas can run at up to . Some species are preyed on by little owls (''Athene noctua'') in central Asia. Most species of jerboas have excellent hearing that they use to avoid becoming the prey of nocturnal predators. The typical lifespan of a jerboa is around 2–3 years. Taxonomy Jerboas, as previously defined, were thought to be paraphyletic, with the jumping mice (Zapodidae) and birch mice (Sminthidae) also being classified in the family Dipodidae. However, phylogenetic analysis split all three as distinct families, leaving just the jerboas in Dipodidae and revealing them to be a monophyletic group. This animal has a body length (including the head) of between , with an additional of tail, which is always longer than the full body. Jerboa dental records reveal a slow increase in crown heights, which cor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Allactaginae
Allactaginae is a subfamily of rodents. Classification Subfamily Allactaginae *Genus ''Allactaga'' **Subgenus ''Allactaga'' *** Iranian jerboa, ''Allactaga firouzi'' *** Hotson's jerboa, ''Allactaga hotsoni'' *** Great jerboa, ''Allactaga major'' *** Severtzov's jerboa, ''Allactaga severtzovi'' **Subgenus '' Orientallactaga'' *** Balikun jerboa, ''Allactaga balikunica'' *** Gobi jerboa, ''Allactaga bullata'' *** Mongolian five-toed jerboa, ''Allactaga sibirica'' *Genus '' Allactodipus'' ** Bobrinski's jerboa, ''Allactodipus bobrinskii'' *Genus '' Pygeretmus'', fat-tailed jerboas ** Lesser fat-tailed jerboa, ''Pygeretmus platyurus'' ** Dwarf fat-tailed jerboa, ''Pygeretmus pumilio'' ** Greater fat-tailed jerboa, ''Pygeretmus shitkovi'' *Genus ''Scarturus'' ** Small five-toed jerboa, ''Scarturus elater'' ** Euphrates jerboa, ''Scarturus euphratica'' ** Four-toed jerboa, ''Scarturus tetradactyla'' ** Vinogradov's jerboa, ''Scarturus vinogradovi'' **Williams' jerboa Williams's je ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scarturus Tetradactyla
The four-toed jerboa (''Scarturus tetradactylus'') is a rodent of the family Dipodidae and genus ''Scarturus'' that has four digits. Four-toed jerboas are native to Egypt and Libya. They live in coastal salt marshes and dry deserts. Physical appearance Similar to the other jerboas in the genera ''Allactaga'' and ''Scarturus'', 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 one digit less than other jerboas in the subfamily Allactaginae, but one more hind digit than other jerboas. The extra digit is smaller in size and nonfunctional compared to the other three digits. Nutrition Emerging at night, the f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Euchoreutinae
The long-eared jerboa (''Euchoreutes naso'') is a nocturnal mouse-like rodent with a long tail, long hind legs for jumping, and exceptionally large ears. It is distinct enough that authorities consider it to be the only member of both its genus, ''Euchoreutes'', and subfamily, Euchoreutinae. Long-eared jerboas are found in the Palearctic ecozone. The specific palearctic ecozone areas they are found in are southernmost Mongolia to the Takla-Makan Desert, Mengxin, Aerijin Mountain, and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau regions of north western China. Long-eared jerboas in most cases are nocturnal, The long-eared jerboa's fur according to the book ''100 animals to see before they die'' "is reddish yellow to pale russet with white underparts." Very little is known about the species. Description The long-eared jerboa's head and body length measures while its tail is double this size, between . Like its disproportionately long tail, its hind feet are also large, helping it to jump high, measuri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dipodinae
Dipodinae is a subfamily of Dipodidae Jerboas () are the members of the family Dipodidae. They are hopping desert rodents found throughout North Africa and Asia. They tend to live in hot deserts. When chased, jerboas can run at up to . Some species are preyed on by little owls ('' .... Classification Subfamily Dipodinae *Tribe Dipodini **Genus '' Dipus'' *** Northern three-toed jerboa, ''Dipus sagitta'' **Genus '' Eremodipus'' *** Lichtenstein's jerboa, ''Eremodipus lichtensteini'' **Genus '' Jaculus'' *** Blanford's jerboa, ''Jaculus blanfordi'' *** Lesser Egyptian jerboa, ''Jaculus jaculus'' *** Greater Egyptian jerboa, ''Jaculus orientalis'' *** Thaler's jerboa, ''Jaculus thaleri'' **Genus '' Stylodipus'', three-toed Jerboas *** Andrews's three-toed jerboa, ''Stylodipus andrewsi'' *** Mongolian three-toed jerboa, ''Stylodipus sungorus'' *** Thick-tailed three-toed jerboa, ''Stylodipus telum'' *Tribe Paradipodini **Genus '' Paradipus'' *** Comb-toed jerboa, ''Paradipus c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cardiocraniinae
Cardiocraniinae is a subfamily of rodents in the family Dipodidae, named by the Russian zoologist Boris Stepanovich Vinogradov (1891–1958) in 1925. These jumping rodents are small mammals, less than 20 cm long. Taxonomy *Genus ''Cardiocranius'' **Five-toed pygmy jerboa, ''Cardiocranius paradoxus'' *Genus ''Salpingotulus'' **Baluchistan pygmy jerboa, ''Salpingotulus michaelis'' *Genus ''Salpingotus'', pygmy jerboas **Subgenus ''Anguistodontus'' ***Thick-tailed pygmy jerboa, ''Salpingotus crassicauda'' **Subgenus ''Prosalpingotus'' ***Heptner's pygmy jerboa, ''Salpingotus heptneri'' ***Pale pygmy jerboa, ''Salpingotus pallidus'' ***Thomas's pygmy jerboa, ''Salpingotus thomasi'' **Subgenus ''Salpingotus (subgenus), Salpingotus'' *** Kozlov's pygmy jerboa, ''Salpingotus kozlovi'' References * Dipodidae Mammal subfamilies {{rodent-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zapodidae
Zapodidae, the jumping mice, is a family of mouse-like rodents in North America and China. Although mouse-like in general appearance, these rodents are distinguished by their elongated hind limbs, and, typically, by the presence of four pairs of cheek-teeth in each jaw. There are five toes to all the feet, but the first in the fore-feet is rudimentary, and furnished with a flat nail. The tail makes up about 60% of its body length and is used to gain balance while jumping. The cheeks have pouches. The Sichuan jumping "yeti" mouse ('' Eozapus setchuanus'') from China can be identified by the ‘Y’ marking on its belly. Jumping mice live in wooded areas, grassy fields and alpine meadows. When disturbed, they can leap eight to ten feet at a time, diminishing to three to four as they widen the gap between them and any pursuer. They are nocturnal and generally live alone. Nests are often found in clefts of rocks, among timber, or in hollow trees. Typically, they will have two to thr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are native to all major land masses except for Antarctica, and several oceanic islands, though they have subsequently been introduced to most of these land masses by human activity. Rodents are extremely diverse in their ecology and lifestyles and can be found in almost every terrestrial habitat, including human-made environments. Species can be arboreal, fossorial (burrowing), saltatorial/ricochetal (leaping on their hind legs), or semiaquatic. However, all rodents share several morphological features, including having only a single upper and lower pair of ever-growing incisors. Well-known rodents include Mouse, mice, rats, squirrels, prairie dogs, porcupines, beavers, Cavia, guinea pigs, and hamsters. Once included wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sminthidae
Sminthidae is a family of mouse-like jumping rodents. They are represented by only one extant genus, '' Sicista'', represented by 19 species found throughout most of Eurasia, from central Europe east to Siberia, and south to southern China. However, they were much more diverse and had a much wider range in prehistory, having multiple genera and being found not only in Eurasia but also throughout North America, where they existed up to the early Pleistocene. They have a well-attested fossil record which dates as far back as the early Oligocene. They were formerly classified as the subfamily Sicistinae in the family Dipodidae alongside the jerboas and jumping mice, but phylogenetic evidence supports all three of these belonging to distinct families, thus leaving only the jerboas in Dipodidae. Extant species * Genus '' Sicista'' ** Armenian birch mouse ''Sicista armenica'' ** Northern birch mouse, ''Sicista betulina'' ** Caucasian birch mouse, ''Sicista caucasica'' ** Lo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Foramen Magnum
The foramen magnum () is a large, oval-shaped opening in the occipital bone of the skull. It is one of the several oval or circular openings (foramina) in the base of the skull. The spinal cord, an extension of the medulla oblongata, passes through the foramen magnum as it exits the cranial cavity. Apart from the transmission of the medulla oblongata and its membranes, the foramen magnum transmits the vertebral arteries, the anterior and posterior spinal arteries, the tectorial membranes and alar ligaments. It also transmits the accessory nerve into the skull. The foramen magnum is a very important feature in bipedal mammals. One of the attributes of a biped's foramen magnum is a forward shift of the anterior border of the cerebellar tentorium; this is caused by the shortening of the cranial base. Studies on the foramen magnum position have shown a connection to the functional influences of both posture and locomotion. The forward shift of the foramen magnum is apparent in b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saltation (gait)
Terrestrial locomotion has evolved as animals adapted from aquatic to terrestrial environments. Locomotion on land raises different problems than that in water, with reduced friction being replaced by the increased effects of gravity. As viewed from evolutionary taxonomy, there are three basic forms of animal locomotion in the terrestrial environment: * legged – moving by using appendages * limbless locomotion – moving without legs, primarily using the body itself as a propulsive structure. *rolling – rotating the body over the substrate Some terrains and terrestrial surfaces permit or demand alternative locomotive styles. A sliding component to locomotion becomes possible on slippery surfaces (such as ice and snow), where locomotion is aided by potential energy, or on loose surfaces (such as sand or scree), where friction is low but purchase (traction) is difficult. Humans, especially, have adapted to sliding over terrestrial snowpack and terrestrial ice by means of ic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Facultative Biped
A facultative biped is an animal that is capable of walking or running on two legs (bipedal), as a response to exceptional or discretionary (facultative) circumstances, while normally walking or running on four limbs or more. In contrast, obligate bipedalism is where walking or running on two legs is the primary method of locomotion. Facultative bipedalism has been observed in several families of lizards and multiple species of primates, including sifakas, capuchin monkeys, baboons, gibbons, gorillas, bonobos and chimpanzees. Several dinosaur and other prehistoric archosaur species are facultative bipeds, most notably ornithopods and marginocephalians, with some recorded examples within sauropodomorpha. Different facultatively bipedal species employ different types of bipedalism corresponding to the varying reasons they have for engaging in facultative bipedalism. In primates, bipedalism is often associated with food gathering and transport. In lizards, it has been debated whether ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Desert
A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the land surface of the Earth is arid or Semi-arid climate, semi-arid. This includes much of the Polar regions of Earth, polar regions, where little precipitation occurs, and which are sometimes called polar deserts or "cold deserts". Deserts can be classified by the amount of precipitation that falls, by the temperature that prevails, by the causes of desertification or by their geographical location. Deserts are formed by weathering processes as large variations in temperature between day and night strain the Rock (geology), rocks, which consequently break in pieces. Although rain seldom occurs in deserts, there are occasional downpours that can result in flash floods. Rain falling on hot rocks can cause them to shatter, and the resulting frag ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
