Allactodipus bobrinskii
Bobrinski's jerboa

Allactodipus bobrinskii (Bobrinski's jerboa) can be found in the Palearctic region throughout northern and western areas of Turkmenistan and central and western areas of Uzbekistan. Its distribution more specifically includes the Karakumy and Kyzylkum deserts. (Wilson and Reeder, 2005)

Allactodipus bobrinskii mainly inhabits the Kyzylkum and Karakum deserts. The Kyzylkum desert is made up of red sand while the Karakum desert is mostly salt marsh sands. Both deserts have areas of sparse vegetation and scrub. Only inhabiting loamy and hard gravel plains in these deserts, A. bobrinskii avoids fully sandy regions. These jerboas construct burrows on a slightly raised mound that is free from vegetation. A key environmental factor for this species is annual vegetation with various aspects of the local vegetation influencing species abundance. (Nowak, 1999; Shenbrot and Rogovin, 1995; Tsytsulina, 2008)

Bobrinski's jerboas are saltatorial with hind limbs that are elongated to 58 mm; they use their excellent jumping abilities as an anti-predator defense. While the length of a jump has not been recorded for Bobrinski's jerboas, related jerboas have been documented to jump up to 3 meters in one bound. The hind feet of Bobrinski's jerboas have three middle toes that are densely covered in a brush of stiff hairs. These stiff hairs provide some traction against the sand. Body length has been reported to be 120 mm for males and 113 mm for females with the average Bobrinski's jerboa weighing 65 grams. These jerboas have long, slender tails (165 to 170 mm) with a tuft on the end; they use their tail for balance when jumping or to prop themselves up when standing. This species has small ears (22 to 23 mm) that measure about one fifth of the body length. They have a silky coat with upper parts composed of a yellow straw colored hair that is markedly darkened in color by dark hair tips that are grey-brown. They have pure white underparts and hip patches, and the front of the head is slightly paler in color than the back. They also have protruding upper incisors and greatly inflated auditory bullae. (Kolesnikov, 1937; Macdonald, 2001; Nowak, 1999; Shenbrot and Rogovin, 1995)

There is no information on the longevity of A. bobrinskii in either the wild or captivity. In the wild, other species of jerboas typically live for up to 2 to 3 years of age. A close relative, A. euphratica, lived 4 years and 2 months in captivity. (Hodgson, 2004; Macdonald, 2001)

Bobrinski's jerboas are nocturnal rodents, foraging only at night. They are shy and seldom seen. These jerboas hibernate during inclement weather, which might contribute to the low number of sightings. Hibernation is shallow with activity occurring during partial thaws. They are burrowing rodents, with separate types of burrows for both night/day and summer/winter. Some of the burrows are permanent, while others are temporary and much shallower in depth. Although burrow occupation has not been examined in A. bobrinskii, in other jerboas, a single animal typically inhabits a burrow. Allactodipus bobrinskii also builds a separate burrow for nesting. This species is saltatorial and can jump quickly and long distances, using its long hindlimbs. It uses this as an anti-predator adaptation for escape. (Anderson, Jones, and Jr., 1967; Macdonald, 2001; Nowak, 1999; Tsytsulina, 2008)

Home Range

Home range sizes in Bobrinski's jerboas is unknown.

Bobrinski's jerboas are nocturnal and have large eyes to perceive their environment in low light. They also have very large auditory bullae which pick up low sounds extremely well. They tap theirs foot inside of the burrow, producing a low drumming noise, which may be a form of communication. In general, jerboas have a good sense of smell, vision and hearing. (Macdonald, 2001; Nowak, 1999)

Bobrinski's jerboas are omnivorous, eating mostly seeds, green parts of plants, and insects. In most seasons, they forage about equally on vegetation and insects. In the spring insects become a much more significant part of the diet. They can use the hairs on their forelimbs to sift through the sand for food. Bobrinski's jerboas do not need to drink water; instead they generate metabolic water from their food. (Macdonald, 2001; Tsytsulina, 2008)

Bobrinski's jerboas are relatively defenseless and will therefore use their large hind limbs and fast jumping and running abilites as an anti-predatory strategy for escape. Another defense they use is avoiding visual detection by predators. This species is nocturnal, which causes it to be safe from diurnal predators. It also has coloration that mimmicks the color of the sand in its environment; this also helps avoid predators' sight. There is no literature on the predators of A. bobrinskii, but because it is nocturnal, potential predators could include snakes and small or medium-sized nocturnal mammals. Some small-medium nocturnal mammals that inhabit A. bobrinskii areas are Felis margarita (sand cats) and Vulpes corsac (Corsac foxes). (Hodgson, 2004; Macdonald, 2001)

Because its diet includes seeds, A. bobrinskii probably disperses seeds in its environment. Also, it is probably an important prey item for small-medium sized animals, such as Felis margarita and Vulpes corsac in this arid habitat. (Macdonald, 2001)

Because its diet includes seeds and green portions of plants, A. bobrinskii is a potential crop pest for humans. Close relatives have been known to destroy a whole crop overnight. Also, A. elater can carry and transmit disease, so this could be a potential problem too. However, since it lives in such an arid environment, A. bobrinskii is unlikely to have a significant influence on humans. (Closey, 2001; Hodgson, 2004)

Although A. bobrinskii does not directly impact humans, it still carries out an important role in keeping the desert ecosystem functioning and healthy. A close relative, A. elater, is used by humans for its fur to make clothing and other items. (Closey, 2001; Hodgson, 2004)

A. bobrinskii is listed on the IUCN Red List as of least concern, suggesting that it does not need special attention for the time being.