Comb-toed Jerboa vs Dwarf Water Clover

Paradipus ctenodactylus compared with Marsilea minuta

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Comb-toed Jerboa	Dwarf Water Clover
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Tracheophyta
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Salviniales (Salviniales)
Family	Dipodidae	Marsileaceae
Genus	Paradipus	Marsilea
Species	Paradipus ctenodactylus	Marsilea minuta

Conservation Status

Comb-toed Jerboa

LC — Least Concern

Dwarf Water Clover

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Comb-toed Jerboa	Dwarf Water Clover
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Comb-toed Jerboa

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Dwarf Water Clover

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and mangrove forests and coastal wetlands, among 4 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Palearctic realms.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Algeria, Comoros), Asia (Bhutan, Taiwan, Vietnam), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil).

Comb-toed Jerboa

<em>Paradipus ctenodactylus</em>, the comb-toed jerboa, is a small nocturnal rodent in the family Dipodidae, assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It is adapted to arid desert and semi-desert environments and is the sole member of the genus <em>Paradipus</em>. The species is named for the distinctive comb-like fringe of stiff hairs on the toes of the hind feet, which provides traction on loose sand surfaces. Like other jerboas, it is highly specialized for bipedal locomotion, possessing greatly elongated hind limbs relative to its body size, a long tail used for balance, and large ears. <em>P. ctenodactylus</em> is primarily granivorous and insectivorous, foraging for seeds, plant material, and invertebrates in its desert habitat. It digs burrows for shelter and protection from temperature extremes. Geographic range details are not recorded in the current record.