Thick-tailed Pygmy Jerboa

The thick-tailed pygmy jerboa grows to a head-and-body length of about 4.5–6cm with a slightly longer tail. The head is large, the eyes small and the ears short and tubular, and the tail may have a thickening near the base where fat is deposited. It is found in China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is a solitary, nocturnal animal with a permanent burrow of many passages that may extend for 3m, its entrances sealed with loose plugs of sand. If spotted in the open by a predator it tries to bury itself in the sand. It feeds on small invertebrates such as grasshoppers and spiders and some seeds. Litters of two to five young are born in spring and summer (Wikipedia, general species account).