My post with links to other posts and a few photos as well

https://jamfn.blogspot.com/2025/10/stealing-sunday.html

https://jamfn.blogspot.com/2025/10/a-bit-of-hodgepodge.html

https://jamfn.blogspot.com/2025/10/tuesday-4.html

Last week we looked at the worlds largest rodent so this week will look at the smallest rodent, this is the Baluchistan pygmy jerboas it is also known as dwarf three-toed jerboas, they are native to the arid regions of southeastern Pakistan — Baluchistan.

 Adults average only 4.3 cm’s (1.7 inches) in head and body length, with the tail averaging eight cm’s (3.1 inches). Adult females weigh only 3.2 grams (0.11 ounce). At birth newborns weigh an average of 0.48 grams (0.017 ounces).  But the tiny body doesn’t hold it back, for they can jump up to over 9 feet, according to the World Wildlife Fund. The colour of the fur matches with the colour of their environment, providing camouflage, so it’s usually beige, yellow or brown in colour.

They have a mouse-like head with large eyes and whiskers and small ears. As they live in the desert, a small flap of skin is present to prevent sand from entering their ears and nose. Their hind legs, which are designed for hopping, are four times larger than their short front feet. Its back legs have five toes, but the middle three are fused. That, and the fact that the Baluchistan Pygmy Jerboas are the smallest of the 33 species of the Jerboas gave them the name “the dwarf three-toed jerboa”. 

Don’s let its small size fool you. It’s incredibly resilient, and it has to be to survive in Baluchistan — one of the world’s harshest desert environment, and one that decimated Alexander the Great’s army. There is hardly any water and daytime and nighttime temperatures vary significantly. They live in burrows generally excavated under small bushes and feed on windblown seeds, succulent leaves of desert-adapted vegetation, and various dead animals such as other rodents and lizards. When plants dry up, they dig up roots of desert plants and eat them.

They may appear cute and defenceless, but their teensy size helps them do much more than just look adorable. From climbing across delicate branches while hunting for insects to dodging predators by hiding in thin crevices, their petite frames work to their advantage.

They are nocturnal creatures that move through the dry using long hops, balancing themselves with their tail.

They can slow down their respiration and blood circulation dramatically — a process called facultative hypothermia — that helps them make the most of their low nutritional diet. Animals that prey on them include the leaf-nosed vipers, trans-Caspian monitor lizards and sand cats

The pygmy jerboa hopped into the spotlight when it became a viral YouTube sensation in 2010, looking like a cross between a mouse and a baby kangaroo

Hi everyone here we are at another Saturday or should I say Caturday today are some photos of me looking oh so handsome.

My post with links to other posts and a few photos as well

https://jamfn.blogspot.com/2025/10/an-orange-hodegpodge.html

https://jamfn.blogspot.com/2025/10/the-post-with-links-to-other-posts.html

https://jamfn.blogspot.com/2025/10/were-family.html

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Ok how many of you know what the largest rodent in the world I is thought it was the beaver, but I was wrong.

It is in fact the capybara they look like giant guinea pigs.

They are from South America, where they live both in dense forests and savannas, typically near bodies of water. They are well known inhabitants of the Amazon, where they can be spotted on river edges.

They are herbivores, munching on grasses and aquatic plants, fruit and tree bark. They will tend to focus all their efforts on one species of grass, avoiding any other species around it. They also eat their faeces; they do this as their faeces contains bacteria which helps them to digest cellulose in plant matter.

They are also semi-aquatic and are well-adapted for both land and water. They have webbed toes and fast drying fur, but they can also run at 35km/h on land.

They are highly social, with groups potentially as big as 100 members, however the average group size is 10-20 individuals. They live for 8-10 years.

The biggest Capybara ever recorded was 91kg (201lb)! However, they are generally 106-134cm in length and usually weigh 35 – 66kg, similar to a small dog.

They will submerge themselves underwater for a nap, leaving their noses out on the edges of riverbanks so they can breathe

Capybaras are so chill about other animals sitting on them, that they’ve been called “moving chairs”. Birds, rabbits and even monkeys have been spotted taking a ride. Often birds will eat small insects from their fur.

Time for a bit more about, Indonesia like the currency is the

Rupiah.

Which was introduced in 1946 by Indonesian nationalists fighting

for independence. It replaced the Japanese issued version of the

Netherlands Indies Gulden which had been introduced during

the occupation during WW1.

In its early years, the rupiah was used in conjunction with

other currencies, including a new version of the gulden

introduced by the Dutch.

The Komodo dragon is the country’s national animal it is endemic to several Indonesian islands, including Komodo,

Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang. These large lizards thrive in 

hot, dry environments, such as savannas and tropical forests at low elevations.

The national flower is the Jasmins a beautiful and sweet smelling flower, there are many types of Jasmine in Indonesia but specifically Indonesia chose Jasminum Sambac to represent Indonesia as a national symbol. 

The national bird is the Javan Hawke Eagle and has been since 1993, it is currently facing threats to its habitat due to logging.

The national dish is Tumpeng a cone-shaped rice dish with side dishes of vegetables and meat. The rice itself may be plain steamed rice, or uduk rice. The cone shaped rice surrounded by assorted of Indonesian dishes, such as vegetables, fried chicken, grilled chicken, sweet and spicy fried beef to name a few. Also very popular is Nasi Goreng a fried rice dish.

When I looked up the national sport, I was shown Pencak Silat a form of martial arts also mentioned was football, basketball, volleyball and badminton.

Well, that’s all for this post.