Strange, rare nocturnal animal caught on video

Media Images 44284000 Jpg 44284741 Jerboa 416203

For the first time, researchers captured video of this endangered little nocturnal mammal, the long-eared jerboa. Zoological Society of London (ZSL) scientist Jonathan Baillie led the team that collected footage of the elusive creature in Mongolia's Gobi desert. From the BBC News:

"These creatures hop just like a kangaroo; it is amazing to watch. Little hairs on their feet, almost like snow shoes, allow them to jump along the sand," (Baillie) explained.

"And in terms of mammals, they have one of the biggest ear-to-body ratios out there..."

"The long-eared jerboa is a bit like the Mickey Mouse of the desert, cute and comic in equal measure," Dr Baillie said...

"These amazing, remarkable creatures are on the verge of extinction and we know almost nothing about them."

Link (Thanks, Vann Hall!)

David Pescovitz is Boing Boing's co-editor/managing partner. He's also a research director at Institute for the Future. On Instagram, he's @pesco.

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Teresa Nielsen Hayden / Moderator

Aiiieeeeeee! Teh cute!
pepsi_max2k

these are the cutest things EVER! topped my christmas list straight away :oD
rblakem

Those are some ears. Maybe they aren’t on the verge of extinction… but they just always hear us coming. Kind of looks like the evil cousin of the sugar glider.
Fraser Dron

Mickey Mouse WAS ‘cute and comic in equal measure’ – but the measure was paltry.
Gilbert Wham

Yes, but can it fly with those ears?
jamesotron

Dr Baillie should consider himself lucky that he hasn’t been sued by Disney for trademark infringement.
jeffthechef

“We call that one, Muad’Dib”
lummels

*** vEARy *** CUTE!
stupidguy

Seconding the Muad’Dib. You beat me to it. Darn you LIFE!
mr_tumnus001

Known as Jerboa on Earth, some might recognize it as the Muad’diB of the planet Dune. (Frank Herbert loosely based the Muad’diB, from which Paul Atreides dakes his Fremen name in the classic book Dune).
techiepage

“a bit like the Mickey Mouse of the desert, cute and comic in equal measure”

right, except that Mickey Mouse wasn’t very cute, and rarely comic. :)
anthropomorphictoast

D’aww, it’s cute! Almost looks like a Pikachu. ^_^
millionpoems

Paging Marianne Moore…
Anonymous

yeah its pretty cool i wanna see one in real life
jplkeekif

Haha, I was about to post the same thing. Gotta love the huge ears on them
Learethak

Wait wait wait.

If they know almost nothing about them how do they know they are on the verge of extinction?
jay smooth

“a bit like the Mickey Mouse of the desert, cute and comic in equal measure”

right, except that Mickey Mouse wasn’t very cute, and rarely comic. :)