Ground hare: description, lifestyle and habitat. Earth hare See what “Earth hare” is in other dictionaries

B big jerboa, or ground hare- the largest representative of five-toed jerboas: body length 190-250 mm, hind foot length 85-93 mm, condylobasalskull length 40-47 mm. The head is relatively short and wide. The muzzle is elongated, somewhat flattened in front, the ears are long, the hind limbs are five-fingered, there are no brushes on them, and there is a well-defined “banner” at the end of the tail.; the black part of the banner on the lower surface is not interrupted along the tail shaft by a white stripe.

Ahead of the black part of the "banner" white ring No; the black part of the banner on the lower surface is usually not interrupted along the tail shaft by a white stripe.

The general tone of the back color varies among different geographical forms from brownish-gray to pale sandy-gray; the ventral side and the inside of the legs are white; in the back of the body on the hips there is a sharply defined wide white stripe, going to the base of the tail. The outer thighs are rusty yellow. The edges of the sole of the hind foot are covered with black-brown hair. The tail up to the main part of the banner is light rusty brown; The main part of the banner is black, the end part is white.

A longitudinal groove on the upper side of the penis reaches only its middle and branches into two grooves diverging at an angle; on its upper surface there are usually about 60 small spines. The front upper premolar tooth (P4) is 2-3 times smaller than the last molar (M3). The anterior parts of the zygomatic arches (when viewing the skull from above) extend almost perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the skull.

Distributed in the forest-steppe, steppe and semi-desert zones of the European part of the USSR, Western Siberia and Kazakhstan - to the west to the Krivorozhsky district of the Dnepropetrovsk region, to the east to Novosibirsk and Barnaul. Approximate northern border: rivers Desna, Oka, Kama, Belaya, Verkhneuralsk, Troitsk, Chelyabinsk, Shadrinsk, Kurgan, Omsk, village. Ordynskoe Novosibirsk region. Southern border: lower reaches of the Dnieper, Crimean steppes, coast of the Azov Sea, foothills of the Caucasus Range, northern coast of the Caspian Sea, northern Ust-Urt, river. Syr-Darya, Chimkent, Dzhambul, Almaty region, lake. Zaisan, Altai foothills. Finds of Pleistocene age are known from different places in the European part of the range from the lower reaches of the Urals to the Kama region in the east and from the southern steppe Crimea to the Chernigov region in the west.

The large jerboa inhabits mainly semi-deserts and deserts, with the exception of sandy ones. In areas with dense soil and sparse vegetation, it is widely distributed in the steppe zone (especially to the west of the Volga River), and also penetrates into the forest-steppe and southern part taiga zone of Western Siberia. Here he settles along the slopes of the beams river valleys, along roadsides, on borders and pastures. In the mountains - up to 1100 m above sea level. m. (northern Kyrgyzstan).

During the Pleistocene, at least two forms of this species lived here, but elucidating them requires a detailed comparative study of the skeletal bones of the limbs, since the remains of the skull, like those of other jerboas, are usually not preserved. Outside the modern range, only one location is known - in the Upper Pleistocene asphalts of the Absheron Peninsula.

The large jerboa is found in a variety of habitats - from meadow steppe in the north of its range to the outlying parts of the clay desert in the south. In the steppe and forest steppe zones settles mainly on denser soils with low sparse grass cover - on pastures, slopes of beams, along roadsides, etc. Burrows have 1-2 emergency exits, and one of them is often not brought 2-5 cm to the surface and is easily broken through by the animal , when he suddenly pops out through this exit.

The ground hare is active from sunset to dawn; Most of the animals come to the surface 30-40 minutes after sunset and go into burrows, depending on the time of year and latitude of the area, for 20 minutes -1.5 hours before sunrise. The animals that come to the surface begin first of all to satisfy their hunger and, after satiation, begin to run and play. Inclement weather somewhat reduces the activity of animals, but even in strong winds and rain you can see grazing earthen hares. The animal, which moves slowly while feeding, lowers the front part of its body low, so that its front legs almost touch the ground. From time to time the rodent stretches upward, rising on its long hind legs, moving slightly big ears. At this moment, he especially resembles a miniature hare. If you are careful and do not make sudden movements, you can get very close to a feeding large jerboa. Frightened, it recoils several meters and freezes in a tense position, leaning on its tail, and when disturbed, it rushes away a second time in long “flat” jumps. A rodent pursued by a car reaches speeds of up to forty kilometers per hour and can run in this mode for about two kilometers.

Among the burrows, the following categories can be outlined: 1) permanent burrows with a chamber, a passage filled with earth and 1-2 emergency exits, closed with earthen plugs; 2) temporary daytime burrows, which have a simpler structure and shallower depth (20-35 cm), and there is no chamber or part of the burrow clogged with earth; 3) temporary night burrows, representing a short straight channel with an open hole; 4) winter burrows, which differ from other types mainly in their greater depth (up to 2 m or more). The exit hole of permanent burrows is most often clogged with an earthen plug. Temporary burrows are shallow, more simple structure, in the form of an open passage slanting underground, at the end with or without a camera. Temporary burrows can be converted by animals into permanent ones, and summer ones into wintering ones.

In the lower Volga region they hibernate when the first night frosts occur and awaken in late March - early April.

Mating occurs soon after awakening (March–April); each litter contains 1-4 cubs. Since large jerboas develop slowly, mass migration of young ones is observed no earlier than the second half of June.

The large jerboa feeds mainly on seeds, roots and basal parts, bulbs and tubers; when eating seeds, it clears them of the shell even in cases where they are very small. As the seeds begin to ripen, they become the main food. They also partly feed on insects. When digging up underground parts of plants, it leaves characteristic holes (“digging holes”). Sometimes they also partly feed on insects (Fenyuk, 1928, 1929).

In some areas (Lower Volga region, Kazakhstan), the large jerboa causes harm by eating the sown seeds of watermelons, melons and pumpkins. After the bread ripens, in some places it causes harm by eating grains; it also eats sunflower grains, peas and lentils. Damage to the rubber plant tau-sagyz (eating seeds and shoots) was also noted. In the twenties and thirties, these jerboas were hunted for their beautiful skin. However, the very fragile flesh of the skins of earthen hares “saved” them from systematic hunting. Noted as a natural carrier of plague pathogens.

Geographical variability and subspecies. The color of the top towards the south is lighter, brighter, reddish tones appear in it; at the same time, the area occupied by the black part of the “banner” decreases.
6 subspecies have been described.

Literature:
1. Mammals of the USSR. A reference guide for geographers and travelers. V.E.Flint, Yu.D.Chugunov, V.M. Smirin. Moscow, 1965
2. Rodents of the fauna of the USSR. Moscow, 1952
3. Fokin I. M. Jerboas. Series: The life of our birds and animals. Issue 2. Publishing house Leningr. Univ., 1978. 184 p.
4. Mammals of the USSR fauna. Part 1. Publishing house of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Moscow-Leningrad, 1963
5. B.S. Vinogradov. Jerboas. Mammals vol. III, no. 4. Fauna of the USSR. Publishing house of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1937

Large jerboa - peculiar type animal from the jerboa family. Its body length is about 22 cm. It belongs to a number of rodents, but appearance and for internal structure stands out in separate group five-toed earth hares. The most characteristic features of the earth hare's structure are its short body, large head with a blunt muzzle, large rounded ears, bent down to the end of the muzzle, large round eyes and long whiskers - vibrissae. This animal has very developed hearing and a sense of touch and exceptional dark vision, which it needs when searching for food and protecting itself from enemies at night. Large jerboas move remarkably well only on their hind legs, and therefore they have developed very specialized characters: their hind legs are long, strong, their feet are elongated, 10 cm long, and the lateral toes (1st and 5th) are poorly developed and not very strong. reach three averages. This peculiar structure of the hind legs is an adaptation to movement only by jumping. The ground hare's front legs are short. With them he captures and holds food, and to some extent digs holes, in which these animals have achieved exceptional skill. The long thin tail exceeds the length of the body, ending in a wide brush, as if combed on both sides; the tail provides balance to the body during jumps, especially when the animal turns sharply or jumps quickly. The hair color of large jerboas is brownish-gray on top with a rusty tint. The throat, chest and belly are white. The tail brush is bright white with a black base.

Jerboas are widespread mainly in the forest-steppe and steppe zones on the Left Bank of Ukraine, penetrating south to the coasts of the Black and Azov seas. There are very few in the right-bank regions of Ukraine; this is where the western limit of their distribution lies. They most often live on cultivated lands, paths, and pastures, adapting to a wide variety of soil conditions. Only well-loosened, cultivated lands are avoided.

It is very difficult to meet the hare jerboa in nature. These are typically nocturnal animals that appear on the surface of the earth only after sunset, with the onset of complete darkness. During the day they sleep soundly, well camouflaged in their peculiarly constructed burrows with a rather complex arrangement. Burrows are dug mainly with teeth - long incisors used to loosen the soil. Their front paws serve them mainly for raking out already loosened soil. There are several types of jerboa burrows: permanent, temporary, nocturnal and winter; in which they hibernate. The simplest temporary holes. They begin with a long vertical passage, which at a depth of about 80 cm ends dully, without a nesting chamber. Such holes are built in case of danger. In the life of earthen hares, this type of burrow was of extraordinary importance, because earthen hares in search of food will often walk far from their permanent burrows and these temporary holes are a reliable refuge. All types of burrows of earthen hares differ from the burrows of other rodents of the fauna of Ukraine in that they are not visible outwardly, because their entrance holes are clogged from the inside. They are open only in temporary burrows.

Ground hares feed almost exclusively on plant foods - juicy roots and bulbs that are dug out of the soil, weed seeds - wheatgrass, quinoa, etc. The favorite foods of these rodents are watermelons, melons, and pumpkins. Only occasionally do they consume insects and their larvae, but they are not essential in their diet.

Large jerboas breed once a year, giving birth in May - early June to two or three, very rarely more, babies, which by the fall already reach the size of adults. With the first night frosts (usually at the end of September), earthen hares, having recovered greatly, lie down in hibernation in specially dug winter holes, which go deeper than 2 m, at the end of the hole there is a well-lined nest. Hibernation continues until the end of April, until warm days arrive.

Ground hares do not belong to the mass pests of agricultural crops, although in certain areas of their habitat they can cause some damage, in particular in farms where melons are cultivated. Here they collect newly sown seeds, thereby greatly thinning out the crops. But due to the fact that there are very few of these animals, the harm from them is insignificant and practical significance they don't have. The jerboa (three-toed jerboa), now an exceptionally rare species, is listed in the Red Book.

Ground hares have few natural enemies. This was facilitated by the extremely skillful camouflage of burrows and extremely fast running, during which animals can make jumps over 2 m long. Among the most obvious predators that prey on large jerboas are steppe ferrets, weasels, foxes, and owls.

EARTH HARE

(Alactaga jaculus Brd.) ? one of the species of the jerboa family (Dipodidae), order of rodents (Rodentia). The genus Alactaga, unlike other genera of this family, has hind legs with 4-5 toes, but only three middle toes, the metatarsalia (metatarsal bones) of which are fused together, touch the ground. The Z. hare has hind legs with 5 toes and 4 times longer than the front ones. The ears are the same length as the head. On the sides upper lip Very long hair(mustaches), located in 8 longitudinal rows on each side. The upper side of the body is yellow-gray, the lower and inner surface is almost white. The tail is reddish-yellow, the brush at its end is black at the base, at the apex? white. Body length 18 cm, tail 26 cm. Found in the steppes of Southern and South-Eastern Russia, in the steppes of Western Siberia and the Caspian Sea; does not go further north than 52¦ N. w. It is not found in quicksand. Z. hares live in small societies; They spend the day in burrows, from which they emerge only at dusk. When Z. the hare grazes, he rests on four legs; during the flight, which he resorts to at the slightest danger, he gallops on his hind legs, making huge leaps and constantly changing direction. The underground burrows in which they live in 2-3 pairs together are quite extensive; the main passage, often divided into branches, leads to a central chamber connected to side chambers. From this chamber there is a blind passage, ending not far from the surface of the earth. Pursued in the hole, the hare jumps out through this blind passage, breaking through its lid. Z. hare eats plants. In summer, the female lays 5-6 cubs in the hole. In September, the hares block the exit from their burrow and, curling up several at a time into a ball, fall into hibernation, from which they emerge in April. Other related species in Asia and Africa. ? See Jerboas.

Brockhaus and Efron. Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron. 2012

See also interpretations, synonyms, meanings of the word and what EARTH HARE is in Russian in dictionaries, encyclopedias and reference books:

• EARTH HARE in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, TSB:
  hare, large jerboa (Allactaga major), a mammal of the jerboa family of the order ...
• EARTH HARE
  (Alactaga jaculus Brd.) is one of the species of the family of jerboas (Dipodidae), order of rodents (Rodentia). In the genus Alactaga, unlike others...
• HARE in the Dictionary of Automotive Jargon:
  - …
• HARE in the Dictionary of Thieves' Slang:
  - 1) drunk, 2) ...
• HARE in the Directory of Constellations, Latin names.
• HARE in the Bible Encyclopedia of Nikephoros:
  (Lev 11:6, Deut 14:7) according to Heb arnebeth) - a four-legged animal from the category of rodents, according to the Law of Moses it belongs to the category of unclean...
• HARE in the Big Encyclopedic Dictionary:
  (lat. Lepus) constellation of the Southern ...
• HARE in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron.
• HARE in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
  , hare, m. 1. Animal of the rodent order, with long ears and strong hind legs, as well as its fur. Cowardly as...
• EARTHLY
  ZEMLYANYA CITY, history. area of ​​Moscow surrounding the White City. Included Zamoskvorechye. It was limited by an earthen rampart from the trees. wall and towers (built...
• HARE in the Big Russian Encyclopedic Dictionary:
  HARE (lat. Lepus), constellation South. ...
• EARTHLY
  zemlyanno"th, zemlyanya"I, zemlyanno"e, zemlyanyan"e, zemlyanno"go, zemlyanyan"th, zemlyanno"go, zemlyanyan"x, zemlyanno"mu, zemlyan"y, zemlyano"mu, zemlyanyan"m, zemlyano" y, earthling, earthling, earthling, earthling, earthling, earthling, earthling, ...
• HARE in the Complete Accented Paradigm according to Zaliznyak:
  for" yats, for" yts, for" yts, for" ytsev, for" ytsu, for" ytsev, for" yts, for" ytsev, for" yts, for" ytsev, for" ytse, ...
• HARE in the Dictionary of epithets:
  Fast, driven, oblique (people's poet), seasoned, timid, playful, timid, hasty, cowardly, gray, sensitive, ...
• HARE in the Dictionary for solving and composing scanwords:
  Mower...
• EARTHLY in the dictionary of Synonyms of the Russian language.
• HARE in the Russian Synonyms dictionary:
  agouti, stowaway, hare, rodent, animal, bunny, bunny, bunny, bunny, bunny, bunny, hare, oblique, mammal, hare, grey, ...
• EARTHLY
  adj. 1) Correlative in meaning. with noun: land (1*1.5), associated with it. 2) Peculiar to the earth (1*1.5), characteristic of it. 3) ...
• HARE in the New Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language by Efremova:
  m. 1) a) A small, timid animal with long hind legs, long ears and a short tail. b) Fur, the skin of such an animal. ...
• EARTHLY in Lopatin's Dictionary of the Russian Language.
• HARE in Lopatin’s Dictionary of the Russian Language:
  hare, hare, tv. hare, b. pl. zaitsev, but: year of zaitsev (according to eastern calendar), Z'ayats, Z'aytsa (about someone who was born in ...
• EARTHLY in the Complete Spelling Dictionary of the Russian Language.
• HARE in the Complete Spelling Dictionary of the Russian Language:
  hare, hare, tv. hare, b. pl. hares, but: the year of the Hare (according to the eastern calendar), Hare, Hare (about one who was born in ...
• EARTHLY in the Spelling Dictionary.
• HARE in the Spelling Dictionary:
  hare, hare, tv. hare, b. pl. hare, but: year of the hare (according to the eastern calendar), hare, hare (about the one who was born in ...
• HARE in Ozhegov’s Dictionary of the Russian Language:
  Colloq is a stowaway, as well as a spectator, a hare who has entered somewhere without a ticket! an animal of the rodent order, with long ears and strong...
• HARE in Dahl's Dictionary:
  (according to Pavsky hare) husband. generic name of an animal from the category of rodents, Lepus; bonfire quickly, smol. , eagle hurry up, orenb. , Tatars ...
• HARE in the Modern Explanatory Dictionary, TSB:
  (lat. Lepus), constellation of the Southern ...
• EARTHLY
  earthen, earthen. 1. Adj. to earth 1 to 4 values. Earthworks. 2. From the earth. Earth mound. Earthen dam. 3. ...
• HARE in Ushakov’s Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language:
  hare, m. 1. Mammal from the order of rodents. Hunting for hares. || Roast of this animal. Today we have a second...
• EARTHLY
  earthy adj. 1) Correlative in meaning. with noun: land (1*1.5), associated with it. 2) Peculiar to the earth (1*1.5), characteristic of it. ...
• HARE in Ephraim's Explanatory Dictionary:
  hare m. 1) a) A small, timid animal with long hind legs, long ears and a short tail. b) Fur, skin of this...
• EARTHLY
  adj. 1. ratio with noun earth I 1., 5., associated with it 2. Peculiar to earth [earth I 1., 5.], characteristic...
• HARE in the New Dictionary of the Russian Language by Efremova:
  m. 1. A small, timid animal with long hind legs, long ears and a short tail. Ott. The fur of such an animal. Ott. decomposition ...
• EARTHLY
  adj. 1. ratio with noun earth I 1., 5., associated with it 2. Peculiar to earth [earth I 1., 5.], ...
• HARE in the Large Modern Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language:
  I m. 1. A small, timid animal with long hind legs, long ears and a short tail. 2. The fur of such an animal. Ott. ...
• PEANUTS OR GROUND NUT in the Book of Tasty and Healthy Food:
  Peanut, or, as it is also called, groundnut or Chinese nut, is an annual, herbaceous branching plant from the legume family. It is cultivated...
• EARTH ALMOND in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron:
  (Cyperus esculentus L.) is a herbaceous perennial plant from the rush family (Cyperaceae DC., S.), remarkable in that on thin ...
• HARE, ANIMAL in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron:
  Hare (zool.) - see Hares. The hare is the enemy of agriculture and forestry. During their growth, it eats cabbage plants, rapeseed, rapeseed, ...
• EARTH ALMOND
  (Cyperus esculentus L.) ? herbaceous perennial plant from the rush family (Cyperaceae DC., S.), remarkable in the sense that on thin ...
• HARE, A MAMMAL OF THE ORDER OF RODENTS in the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedia:
  Hare (zool.) ? see Hares. Hare? enemy of agriculture and forestry. It eats cabbage plants, rapeseed,...
• WOW, TALKING FISH! in Quote Wiki:
  Data: 2009-05-14 Time: 18:56:17 * My grandfather says: “do good and throw it into the water.” * Exactly at midnight, I’ll come...
• WELL, WAIT! in Quote Wiki:
  Data: 2009-08-14 Time: 17:10:03 = Issue 1 = = Issue 2 = *— Hare, Hare, can you hear me? - I hear...
• 45-TRL in the Directory of Routes of Buses, Trolleybuses and Trams of Moscow:
  Trolleybuses Elokhovskaya Square - 4th Cable Street Elokhovskaya Square, Pl. Razgulay, st. A. Lukyanova - School of Watercolors, Bauman Garden, Pl. ...
• HALF-DUTGUT in the Ethnographic Dictionary:
  a building partially sunk into the ground, often with an earthen roof. see also valkaran, earthen house, karadam...
• HALF-DUTGUT in the Dictionary of Ethnographic Terms:
  a building partially sunk into the ground, often with an earthen roof. See also VALKARAN, EARTH HOUSE, ...
• VASILY THE GENEROUS, OR NEW YEAR'S TABLE in the Dictionary of Rites and Sacraments:
  Vasily Shchedry, or New Year's table It was no coincidence that the evening before the New Year - the evening of Basil of Caesarea - was given to the northwestern Slavs...
• ANTICHRIST in the Literary Encyclopedia:
  an adversary or enemy of Christ, fraudulently posing as him (the preposition “anti” in combination with other words usually means “against”, ...

Ground hare

(Alactaga jaculus Brd.) is one of the species of the jerboa family (Dipodidae), order of rodents (Rodentia). The genus Alactaga, unlike other genera of this family, has hind legs with 4-5 toes, but only three middle toes, the metatarsalia (metatarsal bones) of which are fused together, touch the ground. The Z. hare has hind legs with 5 toes and 4 times longer than the front ones. The ears are the same length as the head. On the sides of the upper lip are very long hairs (mustaches), arranged in 8 longitudinal rows on each side. The upper side of the body is yellow-gray, the lower and inner surfaces are almost white. The tail is reddish-yellow, the brush at its end is black at the base, and white at the apex. Body length 18 cm, tail 26 cm. Found in the steppes of Southern and South-Eastern Russia, in the steppes of Western Siberia and the Caspian Sea; does not go further north than 52° N. w. It is not found in quicksand. Z. hares live in small societies; They spend the day in burrows, from which they emerge only at dusk. When Z. the hare grazes, he rests on four legs; during the flight, which he resorts to at the slightest danger, he gallops on his hind legs, making huge leaps and constantly changing direction. The underground burrows in which they live in 2-3 pairs together are quite extensive; the main passage, often divided into branches, leads to a central chamber connected to side chambers. From this chamber there is a blind passage, ending not far from the surface of the earth. Pursued in the hole, the hare jumps out through this blind passage, breaking through its lid. Z. hare eats plants. In summer, the female lays 5-6 cubs in the hole. In September, the hares block the exit from their burrow and, curling up several at a time into a ball, fall into hibernation, from which they emerge in April. Other related species in Asia and Africa. - See Jerboas.

Encyclopedic Dictionary F. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron. - S.-Pb.: Brockhaus-Efron. 1890-1907 .

Synonyms:

See what “Earth hare” is in other dictionaries:

Noun, number of synonyms: 2 jerboa (4) chekalka (2) ASIS Dictionary of Synonyms. V.N. Trishin. 2013… Dictionary of synonyms

Ground hare- Special Rodent of the jerboa family. A ground hare jumped out from behind the tartar bushes, rose on its hind legs, moved its long erect ears and seemed to freeze (A. Perventsev. Tierra del Fuego) … Phrasebook Russian literary language

earth hare- didysis kiškiašoklis statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Allactaga major engl. great jerboa vok. Erdhase; großer Pferdespringer; Jerboa; Pferdespringer rus. big jerboa; ground hare pranc.… … Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas

Great jerboa (Allactaga major), a mammal of the jerboa family (See Jerboa) of the order of rodents... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

- (according to Pavsky, hare) husband. generic name of an animal from the category of rodents, Lepus; bonfire skoromcha, smol., eagle. Vytoropen, Orenb., Tatar. Kuyan, Sib. Uskan, Psk. funny, joking oblique, short, lop-eared; novg. biley (belyay, hare). Hunters have vernal grass,... ... Dictionary Dahl

Hare: a hare is a representative of the mammal family Leporidae from the order Lagomorpha: hare hare hare hare hare tolai hare climbing hare polar hare Manchurian hare, etc. Hare constellation southern hemisphere. Hare... ... Wikipedia

Catching a hare. Novosib. In a wedding ceremony: blocking the street in order to delay the groom's train demanding a ransom for the bride. SRNG 17, 101; FSS, 107. Outrun the hare. Novg. Joking. Run quickly. NOSE 6, 97. Say hare in the top, pike... ... Big dictionary Russian sayings

Hare; m. 1. A small animal of the rodent order with long hind legs, long ears and a short tail. Hares run fast. Brown hare. // The fur of this animal. Hare made from a hare. ● The traditional character of Russian folklore is weak, defenseless,... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary

hare- hares; m. see also. bunny, bunny, bunny, bunny, bunny, bunny, bunny 1) ... Dictionary of many expressions

Aya, oh. 1. to Earth (1.Z.; 4 6 digits); connected to the earth. Third works. Third block. Z. put on. 2. Made from earth; consisting of earth. W. floor Third embankment. Third fortification. Sakli with flat earthen roofs. 3. Living or located in the earth. W... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary

Great jerboa (ground hare) Allactaga major (Kerr, 1792) Order Rodents Rodentia Family Five-toed jerboas Allactagidae

Status in Russia and adjacent regions. The species is listed in the Red Books of the Lipetsk and Tambov regions.

Spreading.

Lives in the European part of Russia (up to the Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod regions to the north), in the south of the West. Siberia and the Ciscaucasia, in the semi-desert, steppe and forest-steppe. It adheres to wormwood heaths, clayey plains, and salt marshes. In the Voronezh region. known habitats in the Usmansky forest and Bogucharsky district.

Description.

The animal is small in size: body length up to 26 cm, tail up to 30 cm; body weight 260415 g. The head is relatively short and wide. The color of the upper body is from brownish-gray to pale sandy-gray with reddish tones, the belly and lower part of the limbs are white, the thighs on the outside are rusty-yellow, with a white stripe extending from behind them. The tail "banner" is well developed; The black field below is solid, there is no light ring in front of it. In the karyotype 2n = 48.

Features of biology and ecology.

Inhabits desert steppes, semi-deserts and deserts, with the exception of sandy ones. In areas with dense soil and sparse vegetation, it is widespread in the steppe zone (especially west of the Volga), penetrating into the forest-steppe and even the southern part of the taiga zone (Western Siberia). Here it settles on the slopes of river valleys, roadsides, on borders and pastures.

Digs holes on its own: permanent and temporary. Lives alone. May occupy abandoned gopher holes. Leads the twilight and night look life. It feeds mainly on seeds, underground parts of plants and their young shoots, and insects.

The female brings 1 litter per year, the litter usually contains 34 cubs, up to a maximum of 8. The population density can reach 58 individuals/ha. Number and trends of its change. Habitats have decreased significantly and continue to decline.

Limiting factors. Reduction of areas suitable for habitation due to changes in agricultural use regimes. Weak replenishment of the population by young individuals due to low reproduction rates and slow development of young individuals.

Security measures taken and required. Protected in the Voronezh region. since 1994. The creation of protected areas in key habitats of the species is required.

Sources of information: 1. Barabash-Nikiforov, 1957. 2. Klimov A. S., 1996b. 3. www.ecosystema.ru Compiled by: N. I. Prostakov, N. N. Kharchenko.