Dipodidae - birch mice, jerboas, jumping mice

There are around 50 species of small rodents in this family. Jumping mice are found in North America. One species, the Chinese jumping mouse, is found in China. Jerboas are found in northern Africa and Asia. Birch mice are found in Europe and Asia.

All of the rodents in this family have longer hind legs than front legs and get around by jumping! Jerboas are small mice-like rodents. They have long silky fur, very long hind legs, and long, tufted tails. They have very small front legs that they don't use at all for moving, they jump everywhere! Jerboas are nocturnal, they spend the day in burrows.

World Status Key
Least Concern Near Threatened Vulnerable Endangered Critically Endangered Extinct in Wild Extinct
Status and range is taken from ICUN Redlist. If no status is listed, there is not enough data to establish status.

US Status Key
Threatened in US Threatened in NH Endangered in US Endangered in NH Introduced
Status taken from US Fish and Wildlife and NH Fish and Game

New Hampshire Species		North/Central American Species
Meadow Jumping Mouse - Zapus hudsonius Woodland Jumping Mouse - Napaeozapus insignis		Pacific Jumping Mouse - Zapus princeps Point Reyes Jumping Mouse - Zapus trinotatus

Other Species Around the World
Africa Asia Australia/Oceania Europe North/Central America South America NH Species
Balikun Jerboa - Allactaga balikunica Gobi Jerboa - Allactaga bullata Small Five-toed Jerboa - Allactaga elater Euphrates Jerboa - Allactaga euphratica Iranian Jerboa - Allactaga firouzi Hotson’s Five-toed Jerboa - Allactaga hotsoni Great Jerboa - Allactaga major Svertzov's Jerboa - Allactaga severtzovi Siberian Jerboa - Allactaga sibirica Four-toed Jerboa - Allactaga tetradactyla Vinogradov's Jerboa - Allactaga vinogradovi Allactaga williamsi Bobrinski's Jerboa - Allactodipus bobrinskii Five-toed Pygmy Jerboa - Cardiocranius paradoxus Northern Three-toed Jerboa - Dipus sagitta Chinese Jumping Mouse - Eozapus setchuanus Lichtenstein's Jerboa - Eremodipus lichtensteini Long-eared Jerboa - Euchoreutes naso Blanford’s Jerboa - Jaculus blanfordi Lesser Egyptian Jerboa - Jaculus jaculus Greater Egyptian Jerboa - Jaculus orientalis Woodland Jumping Mouse - Napaeozapus insignis Comb-toed Jerboa - Paradipus ctenodactylus Lesser Fat-tailed Jerboa - Pygeretmus platyurus Dwarf Fat-tailed Jerboa - Pygeretmus pumilio		Greater Fat-tailed Jerboa - Pygeretmus zhitkovi Baluchistan Pygmy Jerboa - Salpingotulus michaelis Thick-tailed Pygmy Jerboa - Salpingotus crassicauda Heptner's Pygmy Jerboa - Salpingotus heptneri Kozlov's Pygmy Jerboa - Salpingotus kozlovi Pallid Pygmy Jerboa - Salpingotus pallidus Armenian Birch Mouse - Sicista armenica Northern Birch Mouse - Sicista betulina Caucasian Birch Mouse - Sicista caucasica Long-tailed Birch Mouse - Sicista caudata Chinese Birch Mouse - Sicista concolor Kazbeg Birch Mouse - Sicista kazbegica Kluchor Birch Mouse - Sicista kluchorica Altai Birch Mouse - Sicista napaea Gray Birch Mouse - Sicista pseudonapaea Severtzov's Birch Mouse - Sicista severtzovi Strand's Birch Mouse - Sicista strandi Southern Birch Mouse - Sicista subtilis Tien Shan Birch Mouse - Sicista tianshanica Andrews's Three-toed Jerboa - Stylodipus andrewsi Mongolian Three-toed Jerboa - Stylodipus sungorus Thick-tailed Three-toed Jerboa - Stylodipus telum Meadow Jumping Mouse - Zapus hudsonius Pacific Jumping Mouse - Zapus princeps Point Reyes Jumping Mouse - Zapus trinotatus

Additional Information

Key: Profile Photos Video Audio

Blanford’s Jerboa - Jaculus blanfordi
Blanford's jerboa is found in Iran, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Bobrinski's Jerboa - Allactodipus bobrinskii
Bobrinski's jerboa is found in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Comb-toed Jerboa - Paradipus ctenodactylus
The comb-toed jerboa is found in Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Euphrates Jerboa - Allactaga euphratica
The Euphrates jerboa is found in Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Turkey.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Four-toed Jerboa - Allactaga tetradactyla
The four-toed jerboa is found in Egypt and Libya.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Five-toed Pygmy Jerboa - Cardiocranius paradoxus
The five-toed pygmy jerboa is found in China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and the Russian Federation.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Greater Egyptian Jerboa - Jaculus orientalis
The greater Egyptian jerboa is found in Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Greater Egyptian Jerboa - Jaculus orientalis
The greater Egyptian jerboa is nocturnal.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Lesser Egyptian Jerboa - Jaculus jaculus
The lesser Egyptian jerboa is not just found in Egypt. It is also found in found in Algeria, Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Western Sahara, and Yemen.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Lesser Egyptian Jerboa - Jaculus jaculus
The lesser Egyptian jerboa male courts a female by slapping her with his short front paws.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Long-eared Jerboa - Euchoreutes naso
The long-eared jerboa is found in China and Mongolia.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Meadow Jumping Mouse - Zapus hudsonius
The meadow jumping mouse is found in the United States and Canada. It is found in New Hampshire.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Pallid Pygmy Jerboa - Salpingotus pallidus
The pallid pygmy jerboa is found in Kazakhstan.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Small Five-toed Jerboa - Allactaga elater
The small five-toed jerboa is found in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, China, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Thick-tailed Pygmy Jerboa - Salpingotus crassicauda
The thick-tailed pygmy jerboa is found in China, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Vinogradov's Jerboa - Allactaga vinogradovi
The Vinogradov's jerboa is found in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Woodland Jumping Mouse - Napaeozapus insignis
The woodland jumping mouse is found in Canada and the United States, including New Hampshire.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School