Small, nocturnal hopping rodents of the hot deserts of North Africa and Asia, with very long back legs, a tuft-tipped tail longer than the body, and often huge ears. They move almost entirely on two legs, zigzagging and leaping to escape predators.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?Omnivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Night
Nocturnal hopping rodents of hot deserts.
Hibernates?Yes
It digs a special winter burrow to hibernate in, longer and deeper than its summer one.
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inAfrica, Asia
HabitatDesert
ColoursSandy, Brown
SizeTiny
Length4–26 cm, plus a 7–30 cm tail
Legs2
Covered inFur
Lives alone
Lives for2–3 years
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Hot deserts across North Africa and Asia.
- What it eats
- Mostly plants and soft seeds, plus insects; some species eat other small animals.
Did you know
Hops like a tiny kangaroo at 15 mph and may never drink water in its life.
Normally hops 10–13 cm, but can leap up to 3 m when a predator is after it.
Unlike almost any mammal apart from humans, it moves only on two legs, even at slow speeds.
Often confused with
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