jerboa

n. [ Ar. yarbū‘. ] (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 ]

☞ 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 ]