Mammals

1373. Long-eared Jerboa (Euchoreutes naso) LC
Jerboas are small jumping rodents that resemble mice with long tufted tails and very long hindlegs. The long-eared jerboa can be distinguished from other jerboas by its enormous ears, which are about a third larger than its head. Very little is known about this species. Other jerboas are primarily nocturnal, spending the hours of daylight in underground burrows, which they dig themselves. The species is thought to be declining as a result of human disturbance of its habitat.
18.63
EDGE Score:
2.98
Urgent Conservation Actions
Habitat protection and maintenance of protected areas is recommended. Further research into the species’ status and ecology as well as an investigation into the main threats.
Distribution
China and Mongolia.
 
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Evolutionary Distinctiveness
Order: Rodentia
Family: Dipodidae
The family Dipodidae (birch mice, jumping mice and jerboas) contains 51 living species in 16 genera. Species in this family are generally characterised by their remarkable adaptations for jumping, which are thought to have evolved as an anti-predator strategy. It is interesting to note that the unrelated hopping mice of Australia and the kangaroo rats of North America have evolved similar adaptations in response to similar environmental conditions (an example of convergent evolution). Dipodid fossils are known from the Oligocene (26-38 million years ago). The long-eared jerboa is the only representative of the genus Euchoreutes.
Description
Size: 
Head and body length: 70-90 mm
Tail length: 150-162 mm
Hind foot length: 40-46 mm
Weight: 23.7-37.8 g
Jerboas are small jumping rodents that resemble mice with long tufted tails and very long hindlegs. The long-eared jerboa can be distinguished from other jerboas by its enormous ears, which are about a third larger than the head. The fur is reddish yellow to pale russet above, rather than the sandy or buffy colour of most jerboas. The underparts are white. The tail is long and covered in short hairs that are the same colour as the body. There is a tuft of longer hairs at the end of the tail which are coloured white at the beginning, black in the middle of the tuft, and white again at the tip. Each hindfoot has five toes. The soles of the feet have tufts of stiff hairs which act as friction pads to support the animal on loose sand.
Ecology
Very little is known of the ecology of this species. Other jerboas are primarily nocturnal, spending the hours of daylight in underground burrows, which they dig themselves. Most jerboa species are primarily herbivorous, eating seeds and succulent plants; however, the long-eared jerboa's diet is thought to consist primarily of insects. Studies carried out in the species' habitat during the early 1980s found an average of 0.5 individuals per hectare.
Habitat
Inhabits desert habitats, favouring sandy river basins with low shrub cover.
Distribution
Known from western Xinjiang (northwest China) and extreme southern Mongolia.
Population Estimate
Unknown.
Status
Classified as Endangered (EN A1c) on the 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Threats
The species is thought to be at risk from human disturbance of its habitat. Increasing numbers of grazing livestock may be a threat in some areas, along with drying of water sources and drought. It is unclear whether the latter are driven by human activities.
Conservation Underway
The species occurs in a number of protected areas, including the Little Gobi Strictly Protected Area in Borzongiin Gobi. However, no conservation measures aimed specifically at this species are currently underway.
Projects

This project supports in-country EDGE Fellows to help conserve relevant EDGE species

The survey is mainly focused on the long-eared jerboa.

Conservation Proposed
This species was included in a Conservation Action Plan for Mongolian mammals in 2006. Recommendations included further ecological research to determine range, population trends and the impacts of threats, and further habitat protection and management within existing protected areas.
Associated EDGE Community members

Jonathan is the Conservation Programmes Director at ZSL and manages the EDGE of Existence Project.

Jonathan has made several trips to Mongolia to set up local projects for the long-eared jerboa to survey its population and investigate the decline of its habitat and food sources.

Uuganbadrakh is from Mongolia and working to conserve the long-eared jerboa

Links
References
Baillie, J. 1996. Euchoreutes naso. In: IUCN 2006. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 09 August 2006.

Clark, E. L., Munkhbat, J., Dulamtseren, S., Baillie, J. E. M., Batsaikhan, N., Samiya, R. and Stubbe, M. (Compilers and Editors). 2006. Mongolian Red List of Mammals. Regional Red List Series Vol. 1. Zoological Society of London, London. (In English and Mongolian).

MacDonald, D. (ed.). 2002. The New Encyclopedia of Mammals. Oxford University Press. Oxford.

Nowak, R.M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World. Sixth edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London.

Distribution map based on data provided by the IUCN Global Mammal Assessment.

if you can provide new information to update this species account or to correct any errors, please email us at info@edgeofexistence.org

Associated Blog Posts
25th Mar 10
Uuganbadrakh Oyunkhishig, EDGE Fellow, has recently arrived in the UK, and will be working with ZSL for the next month on an internship scheme funded by the ...  Read

9th Jul 09
It is not long until the second group of EDGE Fellows arrives in the UK for the annual conservation skills training course, so here Uuganbadrakh gives his im...  Read

11th May 09
EDGE Fellow Uuganbadrakh, who is researching the long-eared jerboa in Mongolia's Gobi desert, tells us here about using radio telemetry to track these little...  Read

20th Feb 09
EDGE Fellow Uuganbadrakh recently sent us some information on human impacts on the long-eared jerboa: The Mongolian Gobi desert contains many ancient obje...  Read

15th Apr 08
Our Mongolian EDGE Fellow Uuganbadrakh has just sent us some more information and photos that he has collected while studying the Long-eared jerboa in Mongol...  Read

2nd Apr 08
Our Mongolian EDGE Fellow Uuganbadrah Oyunkhishig sent the EDGE Team some information on how he has been harmlessly capturing Long-eared jerboas to collect...  Read

30th Jan 08
Now that it is winter and the long-eared jerboas are hibernating, our jerboa EDGE Fellow, Uuganbadrakh is concentrating on studying for his Master's e...  Read

17th Jan 08
We were exhausted from having been up all night, but the intense heat made it impossible to sleep.  We rolled up the base of the ger to get some ventilation...  Read

10th Dec 07
Scroll down to find out more about the expedition to Mongolia's Gobi Desert and view the first known footage of the extraordinary long-eared jerboa in it...  Read