Dwarf three-toed jerboa
The Baluchistan pygmy jerboa (Salpingotulus michaelis) is a very small rodent in the family Dipodidae. In the 1999 Guinness Book of Records, it was listed as tied for the smallest rodent in the world with the African pygmy mouse.
Adult Baluchistan pygmy jerboas average only 4.3 cm (1.7 in) in head and body length, with the tail averaging 8 cm (3.1 in). Adult females weigh 3.2 g (0.11 oz). They have long hind legs, short forelegs, and long tails. The fur is fine, the color of sand and matches the habitat these rodents live in.
Baluchistan pygmy jerboas are found in Pakistan and may occur in Afghanistan. They live in sand dunes, gravel flats, and plains in hot deserts.
Baluchistan pygmy jerboas are nocturnal. They move around in long hops, balancing with the tail. They live in burrows which they usually excavate under small bushes. Baluchistan pygmy jerboas undergo a diurnal rhythm of physiological dormancy, when their bodily functions, including respiration and blood circulation, slow down dramatically. This is known as facultative hypothermia and helps jerboas to survive on a diet of low nutritional value.
Baluchistan pygmy jerboas are herbivores (granivores, folivores). They feed on wind-blown seeds and succulent leaves of desert-adapted vegetation.
Little information is known about the reproductive behavior of Baluchistan pygmy jerboa. Females typically produce up to two litters a year. They give birth to 2-4 blind and naked young in the spring and summer months.
There are no known threats facing this species at present.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Baluchistan pygmy jerboa total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Data Deficient (DD) on the IUCN Red List.