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

To figure out how they should operate, Gan looks to animals such as horses and tiny hopping rodents called jerboas.

From Washington Post

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

Zoo officials said that they had put five jerboas, a type of hopping rodent with long hind legs, into specially refrigerated enclosures to encourage them to hibernate.

From The Guardian

In her laboratory at UCSD, she and her colleagues study the evolution of the jerboa, a long-legged rodent with a jumping, bipedal gait, which diverged from the mouse lineage tens of millions of years ago.

From Scientific American

The desert much is reddish in colour, and comes alive at night with various insects, lizards and jerboas hunting.

From The Guardian