The Long-Eared Jerboa: Nature's Cooling Marvel

The long-eared jerboa has ears that make up nearly half its entire body length. This tiny desert

rodent from Mongolia looks like a cartoon character come to life. While fennec foxes

and bat-eared foxes use their oversized ears to hunt insects underground, the jerboa's massive

ears serve a different purpose. They help it survive the extreme temperature swings of the Gobi

Desert, from scorching days to freezing nights. Even African elephants, with ears the size

of bed sheets, don't come close to this proportion. Nature's most perfectly engineered cooling

system belongs to an animal most people have never heard of.