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The Internet has given us many adorable creatures, but this one still flies under the radar
If you thought axolotls were the peak of weird-cute animals, wait till you meet the jerboa, a real-life desert creature that looks like a cartoon mouse had a baby with a kangaroo.
And yet, most people outside its natural habitat have never even heard of it.
Image via Banana Slug Club
It's real, and it looks like it was designed by someone who couldn't pick just one animal
With ears bigger than its head, legs made for bouncing, and a tail longer than its entire body, the jerboa looks like it shouldn't make sense and yet somehow, it totally does. These tiny rodents are native to parts of Asia such as Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan, as well as North African countries like Egypt, Algeria, Libya, and Morocco.
They measure just around 10cm long, but pack a lot of odd into a very small package. You won't find them in Malaysia though. Our hot, humid climate is a world away from the dry deserts they call home.
They belong to the family Dipodidae, and while there are over 30 species, they all have one thing in common which is to look completely ridiculous, but in the best possible way.
Image via Animal Fact
Image via New Scientist
Jerboas live in deserts, but they move very fast
You'd expect a desert rodent to be slow, but jerboas hop like kangaroos. Some can leap up to 3 metres, like jumping over a car. Their powerful legs help them escape predators and conserve energy on hot sand. They're surprisingly speedy too, hitting up to 24km/h.
Despite their cuteness, jerboas are shy loners
Jerboas are nocturnal loners that hide in underground burrows by day and only come out at night to forage for seeds, plants, and the odd insect. They don't drink water at all, surviving entirely on moisture from their food which is impressive for a desert dweller.
And those oversized ears? They help release body heat, like built-in air-conditioning.
You probably can't keep one as a pet and that's actually a good thing
Many jerboa species are protected and hard to care for, needing precise temperatures, diets, and space to hop. Even zoos struggle to keep them. So as cute as they are, they're not meant to be pets. Let them bounce freely in the wild where they belong.
Image via WIRED
So why haven't more people heard of jerboas?
Capybaras and fennec foxes have gone viral, but jerboas haven't likely because they're hard to film in the wild. Unlike zoo favourites, these desert introverts avoid the spotlight. But with their weird-cute charm, it's only a matter of time. Maybe staying low-key is what makes them special.
Image via Banana Slug Club
