jerboa

Noun

WordNet 3.0

Noun (1)

  1. mouselike jumping rodent
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Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Jerboa \Jer*bo"a\, n. [Ar. yarb[=u]`.] (Zool.) Any small jumping rodent of the genus Dipus, esp. Dipus Aegyptius, which is common in Egypt and the adjacent countries. The jerboas have very long hind legs and a long tail. [Written also gerboa.] [1913 Webster]

Note: The name is also applied to other small jumping rodents, as the Pedetes Caffer, of the Cape of Good Hope. [1913 Webster]

Jerboa kangaroo (Zool.), small Australian kangaroo (Bettongia penicillata), about the size of a common hare. [1913 Webster]

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