Lesser Egyptian Jerboa

 
 
Jerboas are highly-maneuverable bipedal hopping rodents. This slow-motion video shows a jerboa skipping across a force place at 0.87m/s (almost 2mph!). The film is shot at super high speed (500 frames per second) in order to allow us to analyze the jerboa's impressive ability to travel far distances and evade predators. While these animals resemble the kangaroo rat found in the Southern United States, multiple species have independently evolved this unusual mode of locomotion in rodents. The video was filmed by graduate student, Talia Moore.