Before today, I didn’t know what a jerboa was. But after visiting Gawker (errrr, Defamer? I usually only visit Deadspin, so I’m confused) and receiving an e-mail from one Shiana Crosby about the same video, I now know what a jerboa is. It’s a weird chicken-meets-mouse thing. And it’s pretty cute.

Lets learn a bit more about this strange little guy. The jerboa, according to your friend and mine Wikipedia, lives throughout Asia and Northern Africa. They also kinda hop. Check this out.

This clip shows a little bit more hopping action. It also has a sweet soundtrack.

According to the Internet, the jerboa doesn’t drink anything, instead relying on the food it eats to keep it hydrated. That sounds crazy. Let’s watch the jerboa eat food.

Some jerboas have longer ears than others. And according to this news report, they are also more rare.

I’ve just been informed by fellow NBN staffers that the jerboa is “scary.” These little fellas disagree!

To close out this post, here is a slightly longer clip of a jerboa trying to play with a hamster.