Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
None reported.
No evidence yet to suggest their importance.
The diet consists mainly of leaves and sprouting vegetation in wet seasons and of succulent roots, seeds and grains when rainfall is low or in the summer.
Jaculus blanfordi occur in the southern and eastern desert plains of Iran, southern and western Afghanistan, and western Pakistan (Wilson and Reeder, 1992). They inhabit arid regions where extensive sand dunes are interspersed with gravel plains.
Biogeographic Regions: palearctic (Native )
These jerboas inhabit very arid rocky basins and areas of extensive rolling or flat sand dunes interspersed with gravel plains. They have also been reported from the shores of the Persian Gulf near Bushehr.
Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune
Like all jerboas, Jaculus blanfordi are saltatorial animals that have specialized adapatations for their desert environments. All jerboas have elongated hind-limbs that are about four times as long as their forelimbs. The short forelimbs are positioned close to the head and used for gathering food and burrowing. Locomotion is performed using the hind-feet and the posterior end of their long tails (Kirmiz, 1962).
A unique adaptation of members of this genus is the fusion of the metatarsal bones into one "cannon bone" as well as the loss of the first and fifth toes on each hind foot. Undersides of the three remaining long and laterally compressed toes are covered with thick, stiff hairs. The combination of these features improves traction and provides powerful leverage, so it's not surprising that members of this genus can jump to heights of nearly 2.25 m when escaping predators (Roberts, 1997).
The pelage is thick, comprised of thin and soft hairs that are dorsally cream-colored but blending with white ventral hairs along the sides of the body. The eye-lashes and long sensory hairs are gray or black, and the whiskers are white (Kirmiz,1962). The thick and compressed toe hairs are white near the skin and dark brown on the outer edges. The tail tuft is divided black anteriorly and white posteriorly. They have large, round eyes that are set close to the ears, ovally elongated ears that are relatively small compared to other dipodids, and a fold of skin which can be pulled over the nose while burrowing.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Very little is known about the reproductive cycle of this species. Based on data from other members of the genus and from a few available collected specimens of Jaculus blanfordi, the gestation period is believed to be approximately forty days long. One to three litters are born each year (Ziaie, 1996) and litters generally consist of three to four altricial young (Roberts, 1997).
Key Reproductive Features: gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual
Blanford's jerboa (Jaculus blanfordi) is a species of rodent in the family Dipodidae. It is native to Central Asia and is found in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan.
Blanford's jerboa was first described in 1884 by the British zoologist James Albert Murray, curator of the Karachi Museum and author of a number of books on the birds and mammals of the Indian subcontinent. He named it "Jaculus blanfordi" in honour of the British geologist and zoologist William Thomas Blanford who was a member of the Indian Geological Survey and later published works on the fauna of India.[2]
Blanford's jerboa is native to Central Asia. Its range extends from Turkmenistan and Iran, through the Kyzyl Kum Desert and Karakum Desert to central Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and southwestern Pakistan. Its typical habitat is bare clayey or gravelly areas in deserts and other arid localities, but not sandy areas with dunes.[1]
Blanford's jerboa is a solitary rodent and digs long tunnels in hard ground in which to live. It uses its incisors to loosen the soil, its fore-limbs for digging and pushing loose material under its body, its hind limbs to kick the soil backwards and its snout to ram loose soil. The tunnels are of three types; temporary short burrows with several entrances, several tunnels and a single chamber; breeding burrows with more and longer tunnels, more numerous entrances and a nest chamber at least 30 cm (12 in) below ground level; winter burrows with a single long tunnel, usually horizontal but with the single chamber some way beneath the ground surface. This jerboa feeds on seeds and such desert plants as Artemisia aucheri, Anabasis aphylla and Peganum harmala, and pieces of stem and leaf have been found inside burrows.[3]
Blanford's jerboa has a wide range and is presumed to have a large total population. In some areas, such as Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, the species is thought to be in decline as some of its habitat is brought under cultivation. However, any decline in total population is small and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".[1]
Blanford's jerboa (Jaculus blanfordi) is a species of rodent in the family Dipodidae. It is native to Central Asia and is found in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan.