jerboa

Noun

jerboa (plural jerboas)

1. Any of a number of species comprising the family Dipodidae, native to the deserts of Asia and northern Africa, being a small, jumping rodent with a long tufted tail, very small forefeet and very long hind legs.
   • The Arabs, who are forbidden all other kinds of mice, esteem these the greatest delicacies: as those people often are disappointed in digging after them, they have this proverb, "To buy a hole instead of a jerboa."1814, Augustin Calmet, Charles Taylor, Edward Wells, Calmet's Great Dictionary of the Holy Bible, page 293
   • The permanent burrows may have emergency exits — side tunnels ending at or near the surface — through which the jerboa "bursts" when threatened by a predator. Jerboas often lie on their side when sleeping in the burrow in order to better accommodate their long legs.1999, Ronald M. Nowak, editor, Rodentia; Family Dipopidae: Birch Mice, Jumping Mice, and Jerboas: Walker's Mammals of the World, volume 1, page 1329

   Synonyms:

   dipodid