Andrews's three-toed jerboa

Andrews's three-toed jerboa, or the Mongolian jerboa, is a species of rodent in the family Dipodidae. It is found in China and Mongolia.

Description

Andrews's three-toed jerboa grows to a length of with a tail rather longer than its body and a weight of about. The crown of the head is grey with white spots above the eye and another behind the ear. The rest of the coat is buffish grey. A white band stretches across the hips and the underparts are white. The central toe on the hind foot is the longest and the sole of the foot is haired. The tail is thickened by the adipose tissue beneath the skin and has a flattened, terminal, black bushy section. It can be distinguished from the rather similar thick-tailed three-toed jerboa by the fact that it has premolars in the upper jaw, these being vestigial in S. telum.

Behaviour

Andrews's three-toed jerboa is nocturnal and is a solitary animal. It inhabits semi-arid and arid steppes and grassland, as well as sand dunes with scrubby vegetation. It is also found in coniferous and mixed forests with undergrowth. It feeds on green parts of plants, roots and seeds. Females usually have a single litter consisting of two to four young in the year.

Status

Andrews's three-toed jerboa has a wide range and presumed large total population and occurs in a number of protected areas. No particular threats to this species have been identified and Its population trend is unknown. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".