Rodents may not always be at the receiving end of human kindness, but one kind soul came to the rescue of a thirsty jerboa.
In a sizzling hot desert of the Middle East, TikTok user k8m14 had a pleasant rendezvous with a jerboa, a tiny, hopping rodent. He helped aid the little rodent as it quenched its thirst with a cup of water that the user kindly offered to it.
For most of us, the skyrocketing temperature of 107 degrees Fahrenheit is simply unimaginable. However, desert animals have adapted extremely well to the blazing hot climate and lack of freely available water.
For the little jerboa, this may have been the first drop of actual water that she may have ever sipped. It is a lesser-known fact that jerboas that thrive in the arid regions of North Africa and Asia have the ability to hydrate themselves exclusively through the food they consume.
@k8m14 ♬ الصوت الأصلي – K8m14
The sight of the jerboa struggling to drink the alien liquid is both pleasing and amusing.
Jay Sharp of DesertUSA explains this unique ability as he writes “Foraging primarily at night, the jerboa eats plants, seeds and insects, depending on its food to meet its need for water.”
They extract as much moisture as they possibly can from the limited food options available and yet may never have a need for a single sip of free water.
Nonetheless, they would not decline a tempting offer of a precious cup of water, as we witness in the case of this delightful jerboa quenching her thirst. Human kindness comes in many forms, and this grateful jerboa is surely thankful for one such rare act.
