jerboa

[ jer-boh-uh, jer- ]

noun

1. any of various mouselike rodents of North Africa and Asia, as of the genera Jaculus and Dipus, with long hind legs used for jumping.

jerboa

/ dʒɜːˈbəʊə /

noun

1. any small nocturnal burrowing rodent of the family Dipodidae, inhabiting dry regions of Asia and N Africa, having pale sandy fur, large ears, and long hind legs specialized for jumping

Word History and Origins

Origin of jerboa¹

1655–65; < New Latin < Arabic yarbūʿ; gerbil

Word History and Origins

Origin of jerboa¹

C17: from New Latin, from Arabic yarbū`

Example Sentences

This type of “cutting the brakes” approach seems to be another key component of the jerboa’s huge hindlimbs, the team reports.

From Science Magazine

From those transcriptomes of mouse and jerboa feet, they were able to narrow the pool of potential genes tied to foot size down by 90%, leaving a total of 1755.

From Science Magazine

Finally, the researchers used a series of so-called network analyses to try to pinpoint which genes might have outsize effects in shaping the jerboa’s feet.

From Science Magazine

The total picture painted by the jerboa network analysis is one that highlights how complex the developmental process is.

From Science Magazine

The team identified a gene called shox2, for example, that is expressed in the jerboa feet, but not in mouse feet.

From Science Magazine