Williams's jerboa

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Williams's jerboa
Allactaga williamsi 177950563.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Dipodidae
Genus: Scarturus
Species:
S. williamsi
Binomial name
Scarturus williamsi
Thomas, 1897
Synonyms

Allactaga williamsi

Williams's jerboa (Scarturus williamsi) is a species of jerboas native to Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkey.

Contents

Description

Similar to the other jerboas in the Allactaga and Scarturus genera, the Williams's Jerboa are small hopping rodents of desert regions and have large ears and a long tail. The tail assists and serves as support when the jerboa is standing upright. [2] They have long hind feet and short forelegs. [3] The forelimbs of the jerboa serve as a pair of hands for feeding, grooming, etc. [4] The males in this species do not have bacula. [5]

Distribution and habitat

Williams's jerboa is native to Anatolia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Turkey and northwestern Iran. A separate population is found in central Afghanistan. Its typical habitat is steppe with scanty vegetation cover. It occurs in disturbed areas when sufficient suitable habitat remain but is not normally found in cultivated areas. It favours semi-arid regions and the foothills of mountainous regions. In the west of its range it is found at altitudes of up to 360 metres (1,180 ft) but ranges as high as 3,200 metres (10,500 ft) in Afghanistan. [1]

Behaviour

Williams's jerboa is mainly nocturnal and spends the day in a system of burrows. Emerging at night, it feeds on insects and plant material. [6] The Williams's jerboa is a common food source for the long-eared owl in Turkey. [7] Breeding takes place in spring and summer when two litters, each consisting of three to six young, are reared. [1]

Status

Williams's jerboa has a wide range and, although it is found at relatively low densities, its total population is presumed to be large. It is common in parts of Azerbaijan but is rarer and has become locally extinct in parts of Turkey. The major threat it faces is the conversion of its steppe habitat into cultivated land. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed its conservation status as being of "least concern". [1]

Related Research Articles

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Jerboas are hopping desert rodents found throughout North Africa and Asia, and are members of the family Dipodidae. They tend to live in hot deserts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Four-toed jerboa</span> Species of mammal

The four-toed jerboa 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.

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The genus Allactaga contains the five-toed jerboas of Asia. They are small mammals belonging to the order of rodents. They are characteristically known as the hopping rodents of the desert and semi-arid regions. They have long hind feet, short forelimbs, and walk upright. They have large ears in comparison to their body size and a large tail. The tail assists and serves as support when the jerboa is standing upright. The jerboa body length ranges from 5–15 cm and has a tail ranging from 7–25 cm. The "forelimbs of the jerboa serve as a pair of hands for feeding, grooming, etc." Jerboas use their nose to burrow and push the dirt when looking for food. The male jerboa is usually larger in size and weight in comparison to the female jerboa. The pelt of the jerboa is either silky or velvety in texture and light in color, the coloration helps camouflage into surroundings to avoid predators. All members of the genus have five toes except for a single species, the Four-toed Jerboa, Allactaga tetradactyla of Northern Africa.

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The Asiatic wildcat, also known as the Asian steppe wildcat and the Indian desert cat, is an African wildcat subspecies that occurs from the eastern Caspian Sea north to Kazakhstan, into western India, western China and southern Mongolia. There is no information on current status or population numbers across the Asiatic wildcat's range as a whole, but populations are thought to be declining.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Small five-toed jerboa</span> Species of mammal

The small five-toed jerboa is a rodent of the family Dipodidae and genus Scarturus, that has five digits. They are hopping rodents of the rocky deserts in Asia. They have been found in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, China, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan. They have long hind feet, short forelimbs, and walk upright. The jerboa body length ranges from 5–15 cm and has a tail ranging from 7–25 cm. They have large ears in comparison to their body size and a large tail. The tail assists and serves as support when the jerboa is standing upright. These hopping rodents can reach a speed up to 48 km/hr. The forelimbs of the jerboa serve as a pair of hands for feeding, grooming, etc. The male jerboa is usually larger in size and weight in comparison to the female jerboa. The pelt of the jerboa is either silky or velvety in texture and light in color, the coloration helps camouflage into surroundings to avoid predators. "Its coloration varies from sandy or buff to dark russet or black with pale under parts and a white strip on the hip”.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Eken, G.; Bozdogan, M.; Molur, S. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Scarturus williamsi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T136326A115205783. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T136326A22201949.en . Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  2. Kirmiz, John P. Adaptation to Desert Environment; A Study on the Jerboa, Rat and Man. London: Butterworths, 1962. 17. Print.
  3. Lagassé, Paul. "Jerboa." The Columbia Encyclopedia. 6th ed. New York: Columbia UP, 2000. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 October 2013.
  4. Kirmiz, John P. Adaptation to Desert Environment; A Study on the Jerboa, Rat and Man. London: Butterworths, 1962. 29. Print.
  5. TOYRAN, Kubilay, and İrfan ALBAYRAK. "Contribution to the Biological Characteristics of Allactaga williamsi Thomas, 1897 in Kırıkkale Province (Mammalia: Rodentia)." International Journal of Natural and Engineering Sciences 3.1 (2009): 13-17.
  6. Ercüment, Colak. "Ecology and Biology of Allactaga Elater, Allactaga Euphratica and Allactaga Williamsi (Rodentia: Dipodidae) in Turkey." Tr. J. of Zoology (1996): 105.Tr. J. of Zoology. Web. 3 Oct. 2013. http://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/zoology/issues/zoo-98-22-2/zoo-22-2-3-97042.pdf Archived 2013-12-03 at the Wayback Machine >.
  7. Hizal, Erdem. "Diet of the Long Eared Owl, Asio Otus, in Central Anatolia (Aves: Strigidae)."Zoology in the Middle East 59.2 (2013): 118. Web. 5 Oct. 2013. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/09397140.2013.810866#.UlNd4dLoaSo>.