Allactaga major — Details

Great Jerboa learn more about names for this taxon

Overview

Distribution

Range Description

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Distributed from forest-steppes to northern parts of deserts from W Ukraine and European Russia (S) through Kazakhstan and N Uzbekistan to W Siberia and W Xinjiang, China (Shenbrot et al. 1995, Wilson and Reeder 2005).
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Ecology

Habitat

Habitat and Ecology

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Habitat and Ecology
One of the most ecologically plastic jerboa species. Inhabits various habitats; in the northern part of the range the main limiting factor is grass density, and the species is restricted to areas with sparse vegetation. In steppe zone often inhabits roadsides, field edges, pastures and flat slopes of ravines. In deserts and semideserts occurs in all habitats except moving sands. Prefers areas with loamy soils, with absinth and succulent vegetation. Feeds on underground and green parts of plants, also on seeds and occasionally on insect and molluscs. Has three types of burrows: permanent summer and winter, and temporary. Enters hibernation in autumn with the first frost. Exits hibernation in March-April. Reproductive period is prolonged. Pregnant females may be found from March to July. During the reproductive period females may have two litters. Litter size ranges from 1 to 8 young, usually 3-6.

Systems
  • Terrestrial
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Life History and Behavior

Life Expectancy

Lifespan, longevity, and ageing

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Maximum longevity: 7 years (captivity) Observations: One wild born specimen was about 7 years old when it died in captivity (Richard Weigl 2005). These animals do not appear to mate until the year after they are born (Ronald Nowak 1999).
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Molecular Biology and Genetics

Molecular Biology

Statistics of barcoding coverage: Allactaga major

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Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 0
Species: 3
Species With Barcodes: 1

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Conservation

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List Assessment

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Red List Category
LC
Least Concern

Red List Criteria

Version
3.1

Year Assessed
2008

Assessor/s
Tsytsulina, K., Formozov, N., Zagorodnyuk, I. & Sheftel, B.

Reviewer/s
Amori, G. (Small Nonvolant Mammal Red List Authority) & Temple, H. (Global Mammal Assessment Team)

Justification
The species is rapidly declining in European Russia and Ukraine, and has even recently gone extinct in some areas (e.g. Moscow district). However, it remains abundant in other parts of its range and overall it is not thought to be declining at a rate that warrants listing in a higher category, consequently it is assessed as Least Concern. Populations should be monitored and conservation measures are required in European parts of the range.

History
  • 1996
    Lower Risk/least concern
    (Baillie and Groombridge 1996)
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Population

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Population
Widespread across most of its range, but distributed irregularily because of fragmentation of suitable habitats and human-caused landscape change. In Ukraine west of the Dnepr the species was common until the mid 1920s (Bilsky 1929), but there are no recent records of the species there (Shenbrot et al. 1995).

Population Trend
Decreasing
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Threats

Threats

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Major Threats
Declining very rapidly in the northwestern part of its range. Has disappeared from Moscow, Kursk regions. The main threat is land use change. The species needs large continuous habitats – fragmentation has strong impact on populations. In the Moscow region, habitat destruction due to building of dachas has caused the species to disappear.
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Management

Conservation Actions

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Conservation Actions
The species is listed in the Moscow regional Red Data Book as Extinct in the Wild, but it is not listed in the Russian national Red Data Book due to abundance elsewhere in the range. In the Red Data Book of Ukraine it is listed as category II (abundant species with rapidly declining population).
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Wikipedia

Great Jerboa

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The Great Jerboa (Allactaga major) is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family. It is found in Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. It mainly lives in deserts. The Great Jerboa lives in many desert biomes around the world.

Fossil specimen

The Great jerboa is the biggest of all species of jerboa[2] The length of its body is 180 mm and its tail is 260 mm[3] The Great Jerboa prefers ground that is made up of clay[4] This type of Jerboa likes to eat the bulbs of plants.[5] The plant bulbs it most commonly eats are the bulbs of Gagea [6] To get to the bulbs the Great Jerboa uses its teeth. This allows it to dig out the bulb of the Gagea[7] Other foods this animal will eat, but not as commonly as Gagea are grains and bark[8] It is common for several Great Jerboa to hibernate together in one nest[9]

References

  1. ^ Tsytsulina, K., Formozov, N., Zagorodnyuk, I. & Sheftel, B. (2008). Allactaga major. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 11 February 2009.
  2. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=OsPBXSNL8ZkC&pg=PA202&dq=great+jerboa&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Ja0DT7WiBoTl0QGxr4GQAg&ved=0CE4Q6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=great%20jerboa&f=false
  3. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=OsPBXSNL8ZkC&pg=PA202&dq=great+jerboa&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Ja0DT7WiBoTl0QGxr4GQAg&ved=0CE4Q6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=great%20jerboa&f=false
  4. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=OsPBXSNL8ZkC&pg=PA202&dq=great+jerboa&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Ja0DT7WiBoTl0QGxr4GQAg&ved=0CE4Q6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=great%20jerboa&f=false
  5. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=OsPBXSNL8ZkC&pg=PA202&dq=great+jerboa&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Ja0DT7WiBoTl0QGxr4GQAg&ved=0CE4Q6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=great%20jerboa&f=false
  6. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=OsPBXSNL8ZkC&pg=PA202&dq=great+jerboa&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Ja0DT7WiBoTl0QGxr4GQAg&ved=0CE4Q6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=great%20jerboa&f=false
  7. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=OsPBXSNL8ZkC&pg=PA202&dq=great+jerboa&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Ja0DT7WiBoTl0QGxr4GQAg&ved=0CE4Q6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=great%20jerboa&f=false
  8. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=OsPBXSNL8ZkC&pg=PA202&dq=great+jerboa&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Ja0DT7WiBoTl0QGxr4GQAg&ved=0CE4Q6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=great%20jerboa&f=false
  9. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=OsPBXSNL8ZkC&pg=PA202&dq=great+jerboa&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Ja0DT7WiBoTl0QGxr4GQAg&ved=0CE4Q6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=great%20jerboa&f=false
  • Holden, M. E. and G. G. Musser. 2005. Family Dipodidae. Pp. 871-893 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.


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