Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Cladus: Craniata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Cladus: Synapsida
Cladus: Eupelycosauria
Cladus: Sphenacodontia
Cladus: Sphenacodontoidea
OrdoTherapsida
Cladus: Theriodontia
Subordo: Cynodontia
Cladus: Mammaliaformes
Classis: Mammalia
Subclassis: Trechnotheria
Infraclassis: Zatheria
Supercohort: Theria
Cohort: Eutheria
Cohort: Placentalia
Cladus: Boreoeutheria
Superordo: Euarchontoglires
Ordo: Rodentia
Subordo: Myomorpha
Superfamilia: Dipodoidea
Familia: Dipodidae
Subfamilia: Allactaginae
Genus: Allactaga
Species: Allactaga elater
Name
Allactaga elater (Lichtenstein, 1825)
Type locality: Western Kazakhstan (Kirgiz Steppe)
References
Allactaga elater in Mammal Species of the World.
Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn M. (Editors) 2005. Mammal Species of the World – A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Third edition. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4.
IUCN: Allactaga elater (Lichtenstein, 1825) (Least Concern)
Vernacular names
English: Small Five-toed Jerboa
español: Jerboa Cinco-tocado Con La Punta Del Pie Pequeño
The small five-toed jerboa (Allactaga elater) is a rodent of the family Dipodidae and genus Allactaga, that has five digits.[2] They are hopping rodents of the rocky deserts in Asia.[1] They have been found in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, China, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan. They have long hind feet, short forelimbs, and walk upright.[3] The jerboa body length ranges from 5–15 cm and has a tail ranging from 7–25 cm.[4] They have large ears in comparison to their body size and a large tail. The tail assists and serves as support when the jerboa is standing upright.[5] These hopping rodents can reach a speed up to 48 km/hr.[1] The forelimbs of the jerboa serve as a pair of hands for feeding, grooming, etc.[6] The male jerboa is usually larger in size and weight in comparison to the female jerboa.[5] The pelt of the jerboa is either silky or velvety in texture and light in color,[7] the coloration helps camouflage into surroundings to avoid predators. "Its coloration varies from sandy or buff to dark russet or black with pale under parts and a white strip on the hip”.[1]
Adaptation to temperature conditions
Allactaga elater on a 2012 Armenian stamp
Jerboas are adapted to live in the desert, therefore they are called xerocole animals. In hot temperature conditions, they spend most of their day burrowed under sand to avoid the heat.[8] Burrowing under the sand, they evade the heat from the sun, minimizing water loss and avoiding dehydration. In cold temperature conditions, the Small five-toed Jerboa are capable of adjusting their body temperature 1–2 °C from the optimal temperature to minimize heat lost.[9]
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Allactaga elater.
Shenbrot, G.; Tsytsulina, K.; Batsaikhan, N.; Avirmed, D.; Tinnin, D.; Sukhchuluun, G. & Lkhagvasuren, D. (2008). "Allactaga elater". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
Holden, M. E. and Musser, G. G. (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.
Lagassé, Paul (2000) "Jerboa." in The Columbia Encyclopedia. 6th ed. New York: Columbia UP.
"Jerboa (rodent)." Encyclopædia Britannica. .
Kirmiz, John P. (1962) Adaptation to Desert Environment; A Study on the Jerboa, Rat and Man. London: Butterworths. p. 17.
Kirmiz, John P. (1962) Adaptation to Desert Environment; A Study on the Jerboa, Rat and Man. London: Butterworths. p. 29.
Miljutin, A. (2008). "Trends of Specialisation in Rodents: The Five-toed Jerboas, Subfamily Allactaginae (Dipodoidea, Rodentia)". Acta Zoologica Lituanica. 18 (4): 228–239. doi:10.2478/v10043-008-0033-9.
Hearst, Michael et al. (2012) Unusual Creatures: A Mostly Accurate Account of Some of the Earth's Strangest Animals. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. ISBN 1452104670.
Hill, Richard W.; Lay, Douglas M. & Veghte, James H. (1974). "Body surface temperatures of jerboas (Allactaga) in uniform thermal environments". Journal of Comparative Physiology. 93 (2): 117–125. doi:10.1007/BF00696266. S2CID 13443069.
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