As we all know, deserts are very rare in both animals and plants due to the harshness of their environment. The desert is also known as the "sand curtain", because of the extreme drought and lack of water, the climate is dry, so in terms of appearance characteristics, the desert area is widely covered with sand or sand dunes, and under the sand is bare rock. However, in this environment, there are actually a group of unique magical rare species living. For example, the latest discovery of the "world's smallest jerboa" - the three-toed cardiovascular jerboa!
It is reported that the discovery of the three-toed cardiovascular jerboa is also purely accidental! At that time, it was due to a group of donkey friends traveling to Xinjiang, and they came across this spherical "mouse" creature with a round head and a long pig's head and tail during their night operation in Shaya County, Aksu Region, Xinjiang. I have to say that it is also too cute, netizens have seen this rare creature have said: it is also too cute, can it be raised as a pet?
The three-toed cardiovascular jerboa, also known as the world's smallest jerboa, is derived from the fact that at birth, it is only the size of a peanut grain and has a very small body. In terms of appearance, the most significant thing is its round head and long tail features, the three-toed cardiomyobo can be described as a veritable computer standard "mouse" in our modern society, so this time to see its appearance photos, netizens also call it a mouse rat. In addition, the tail of the three-toed cardiocranial jerboy has a major feature in addition to its length, that is, it is relatively thick. It is reported that the place where they accumulate fat is not the stomach, but the tail, so especially in the summer and autumn, it will become thicker due to the accumulation of subcutaneous fat.
The upper part of the body and abdomen of the three-toed cardiocranial jerbok are milky white and milky yellow, and the dorsal hairs gradually deepen to the tail color, showing a gray-brown and gray-brown color. Its body hair is relatively sparse, with a long beard on the head and a rounded head, a bit like a miniature version of the piglet, so if you don't know people but look at the photo will think, is this a pig or a mouse? There is no doubt that it must be a rat, and it is also the rarest desert rat in the world.
Although the three-toed cardiovascular jerboc is small, as small as 6 centimeters, it also has a great skill in surviving in the desert, that is, it can run fast, and its sense of hearing, smell, and vision is sensitive. In terms of distribution range, China is its largest modern distribution center. In detail, there are two main distribution centers in China, one is the Taklamakan Desert in southern Xinjiang, and the other is centered on the Badain Jarin, Tengger and Maowusu Deserts.
Only the cap is large
It is worth noting that the discovery of this magical creature is in Shaya County in the Aksu region within the Taklamakan Desert region of Xinjiang. It can be said to be accidental, it can also be said to be inevitable! Why? In fact, on the one hand, it is inseparable from the characteristics of the three-toed cardiodial jerboa like to dig holes and prey on Coleoptera insects. The Taklamakan Desert is the largest desert in China and the second largest mobile desert in the world. It is a vast area and is an extremely rare place suitable for the three-toed cardiocranial jerboa in the desert area of Central Asia.
On the other hand, it is inseparable from the improvement of the environment in the Taklamakan Desert in recent years! Although they are all deserts and climatic factors cannot be changed, the Taklamakan Desert is now home to many other rare creatures. There may not be too many animals and plants here, but it is a complete biological chain. There are 272 species of animals and 73 species of higher plants, and there are not many lower plants and microorganisms.
There are corresponding species on the edge of the desert, in the open area, in the river valley bush, etc., such as wild boar, lynx, Tarim rabbit, woodpecker, etc. can find their own place to live. The three-toed cardiodial jerboa has a predator ferret here, and can also find its own food source, which naturally forms a stable biological population!
First of all, in terms of rare causes, in terms of population reproduction, three-toed cardiocranial jerboas are very rare, and the main reason is that there are fewer suitable places for survival. The second is that their life is only 2 years, and the reproduction rate is extremely low, only one child a year, and the newborn baby jerboa is only the size of a peanut. Imagine that such a small coupled with environmental conditions such as deserts, its survival rate is also very problematic. In addition, there is an unheard of trait in the three-toed cardiovascular jerboc, that is, it also has the characteristics of hibernation, and it sleeps for 6 months to 9 months.
It is reported that in order to prepare for hibernation, the three-toed cardiovascular jerboa will eat wildly in the summer and autumn to accumulate fat on the longer tail. Experts say that the three-toed cranial jerboa will also drop the body temperature to a few degrees Celsius, while reducing the heart rate and breathing rate, the heart rate is about 2 to 3 times per minute, breathing is about 3 to 4 times per minute, and it returns to normal when it wakes up. I have to say that if such a big ups and downs are put on humans, I am afraid that the blood vessels will burst.
And this time the donkey friends photographed it, perhaps they are already preparing for hibernation. Therefore, when the flashlight shines on it, it is not afraid at all, but the cute love appearance makes people love this rare species even more. However, it is not possible to use it as a pet as some whimsical netizens said. First of all, it is a rare wild animal protected by the state, and its number is already rare, and it is illegal to take it home and raise it at will. In addition, the three-toed cardiomy jerboa does not look cute, but in fact, it has a fierce personality, and it is easy to hurt people when provoked.
So the question is, what is the value of studying the three-toed cardiovascular jerboa? Don't look at the three-toed cardiovascular jerboa, although small, its hibernation characteristics, as well as the biological characteristics of hoarding fat on the tail, are of high value for human beings to study obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Furthermore, in terms of species diversity, it also makes important contributions to the study of the species's ability to survive in the desert, its survival mechanism, the enhancement of its own species recovery, and the biodiversity of the desert.
Indeed, the three-toed cardiomy jerboa is very cute, plus it likes to be active at night, has a short lifespan, and likes to hibernate, whichever is very attractive to pay attention to them. But as many people in love say, distance produces beauty, love it do not hurt it, the best care for the three-toed cardiovascular mouse is not to deliberately destroy the original living environment, survival rules. Therefore, netizens said to take home and raise pets, or goodbye.
For now, China's entry into 2021 has indeed undergone a long and substantial improvement in the ecological environment. It is believed that although it is a desert creature, the emergence of the three-toed cardiovascular jerboa is also one of our effective manifestations of desert governance and management. At this level, it is also gratifying, the future is still very long, look forward to more desert creatures can better survive, there are more rare species can live and return, more appearances, let us better understand the magic of nature.