A small jumping rodent found in Central Asia, similar to a jerboa, with long hind legs adapted for hopping across desert terrain.
From Russian 'alactaga,' which comes from a Turkic or Mongolian source. The name describes this desert creature that was well-known to Central Asian peoples who shared their habitat.
The alactaga can jump 10 feet in a single bound—that's like you jumping 60 feet! It's a master of the Gobi Desert, and its scientific name, Allactaga, has inspired naming patterns in rodent classification.
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