Long-eared jerboa photographed for first time

From British daily The Independent:

Did you hear the one about the long-eared jerboa? It’s been photographed for the first time

By Emily Dugan

Published: 10 December 2007

Images of the long-eared jerboa, a kangaroo-like rodent dubbed the Mickey Mouse of the desert for its enormous ears, have been captured for the first time in its natural habitat by a team from London Zoo.

Euchoreutes naso, easily identified by its disproportionately large ears, a third bigger than its head, has also evolved legs that allow it to jump like a kangaroo. It has been classified as endangered in the World Conservation Union‘s Red List.

Dr Jonathan Baillie, the head of field conservation at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and leader of its expedition to Mongolia, said his crew drove for days to get to the Gobi desert, then painstakingly scouted the area at night to find the rodents.