The four-toed jerboa (Scarturus tetradactyla) is a rodent of the family Dipodidae and genus Scarturus that has four digits. Four-toed jerboas are native to Egypt and Libya. They live in coastal salt marshes and dry deserts.
Similar to the other jerboas in the genera Allactaga and Scarturus, the four-toed jerboa are small hopping rodents with large ears and a long tail, with a black band near the white, feathery tip. The tail assists and serves as support when the jerboa is standing upright.[2] They have long hind feet and short forelegs.[3] The pelt of the four-toed jerboa is velvety in texture and the upper-parts are speckled black and orange, the rump orange, and the sides gray. The four-toed jerboa hind-limbs have an extra digit compared to other jerboas in the genus Allactaga. The extra digit is smaller in size and nonfunctional compared to the other three digits.[4]
Emerging at night, the four-toed jerboa eats grass, leaves, and soft seeds.[5] The low crown molars and soft palates help the four-toed jerboa chew plant material and seeds.[6]
The four-toed jerboa is a host of the acanthocephalan intestinal parasite Moniliformis aegyptiacus.[7]
The four-toed jerboa was listed as on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. They are at very high risk of extinction due to habitat loss and restricted range.
The four-toed jerboa (Scarturus tetradactyla) is a rodent of the family Dipodidae and genus Scarturus that has four digits. Four-toed jerboas are native to Egypt and Libya. They live in coastal salt marshes and dry deserts.
