page_title: Greater Egyptian jerboa
section_title: Behaviour
hierarchical_section_title: Greater Egyptian jerboa / Behaviour
caption_attribution_description: 日本語: オオミユビトビネズミ（Jaculus orientalis）の剥製。国立科学博物館の展示。 English: Stuffed specimen of Greater Egyptian jerboa (Jaculus orientalis). Exhibit in the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, Japan.
context_page_description: The greater Egyptian jerboa is a species of rodent in the family Dipodidae. It is found in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and is possibly extinct in the Negev Desert of Israel. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, sandy shores, and arable land.
context_section_description: The greater Egyptian jerboa is a sociable species. The burrows are dug in firm ground and may be up to 2 metres (7 ft) long. It shelters inside during the day, emerging at dusk or at night to forage for seeds, shoots and roots. Food is sometimes stored in chambers in the burrow. This jerboa probably does not need to drink as it gets enough moisture from its food. It has been observed sheltering under, and eating desert truffles (Terfezia species).
  Breeding usually takes place between November and July. The nesting chamber may have some animal fur as bedding. The gestation period is about forty days and the litter size ranges from two to five. There is a single litter in the year and a long developmental period before the young are weaned. When first born, the young have hind legs the same length as their forelegs and as they begin to move around, do so by dragging themselves with their forelimbs. The hind legs gradually lengthen and by four weeks, quadrupedal locomotion starts. Bipedal locomotion starts about seven weeks after birth.
caption: Stuffed specimen in the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, Japan
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