part mouse, part moth- the "wingspan" of these ears is longer than the rodent's body
The author of BV is invoking her writerly prerogative, and stretching the parameters of the pink animal series to includeEuchoreutes naso, a nocturnal rodent which is not properly speaking pink, but is replete with long tail, long hind legs, and exceptionally large, exceptionally adorable, shell-pink ears. One Dr. Baille, a member of the Zoological society of London, told BBC that “the long-eared jerboa is a bit like the Mickey Mouse of the desert, cute and comic in equal measure.” The Author of BV is forced to agree.
Native to China and to desert habitats of Trans Altai Govi & Gobi Deserts in Mongolia, the long-eared jerboa is considered endangered, and due to its rarity, is little understood. Dr. Baille explains in the BBc interview that he took part in an expedition to study the long-eared jerboa funded by ZSL’s “Edge” program, which focuses on conserving endangered and “evolutionarily distinctive” animals, and that it was on this expedition that he and his colleagues caught these adorable little buggers on tape, for what may well be the first time (see film clip, below).
and may we just say, in our official capacity, “awwwwwww.”
