Despite living in the incredibly harsh Gobi desert the little jerboa is perfectly suited to its environment and its human namesake is trying to be just as adaptable. 4 Mechanized Brigade, once part of the famous 'Desert Rats' who took the nickname from the Western Desert in 1942, still carry the desert rat, or jerboa, as a patch on their arm. The Brigade, now known as the 'Black Rats', have just arrived in Iraq to begin a six month tour of duty in Basra helping to bring security to the people there.

Based in Osnabrück in Germany, and manned by troops based in both Germany and the UK, 4 Mech Bde are well equipped and well trained. They believe they are more than ready for their time in the desert which will involve training the Iraqi Security Forces and helping to make Basra a safer place.

The man in charge of the 5,000-strong 4 Mech Bde, Brigadier Julian Free, is enjoying the fact his men are currently the second most famous jerboas:

"I was sure I'd see our shoulder patch in the papers over Christmas but I didn't think we would be beaten into print by a jerboa living in the Gobi desert," he said.

Focusing on the more serious tasks for his soldiers, that of their role building a secure and stable Iraq, Brigadier Free added:

"We're out here to do a job and we're going to stand beside the commitment we made to helping the Iraqi people. Basra is about to transition to Provincial Iraqi Control and we will be there every step of the way to help wherever we can."

The jerboa is a rat-like mammal that lives in the deserts of Africa, Asia, and south-east Europe. It is similar to the kangaroo rat in that it has large, powerful hind legs that can propel it faster than a human can run. The hind legs are approximately four times longer than its forearms, which are primarily used for burrowing and eating. The body of a jerboa is approximately 18cm long, with another 24cm of tail. The jerboa is believed to be one of the creatures that God forbade the children of Israel to eat.

The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) yesterday, Monday 10 December 2007, released the first known footage of the long-eared jerboa in the wild, filmed during a recent expedition to the Mongolian Gobi desert aimed at tracking down and assessing the species. Dr Jonathan Baillie, ZSL Head of Field Conservation and leader of the expedition, said:

"The footage and images from this expedition really are extraordinary, and incredibly charming. The long-eared jerboa is a bit like the Mickey Mouse of the desert, cute and comic in equal measure. When people see ZSL's footage of this tiny threatened creature I am convinced they will want to get involved in its conservation. Unfortunately, it is just one of many amazing and unusual animals that are highly threatened but receiving little or no conservation attention."

See Related Links >>> to view the ZSL video footage of the jerboa

Corporal Mark Nesbit, 35, serving with the Black Rats in Basra said of his unit's similarities to the jerboa:

"We're both pretty durable and adept at surviving in tough conditions. Not so sure about the huge ears though, perhaps except for a few of the guys!"

Of course Iraq, like the Gobi, is largely desert. When asked whether the Black Rats feel there's any chance of sighting a jerboa in southern Iraq, Cpl Nesbit replied:

"Well, there are loads of us out here with the jerboa emblems on our arms. As for the real thing, it looks as if the jerboa in the Gobi desert managed to stay hidden until now so we're not holding out too much hope but we'll certainly keep our eyes open."

Of course the jerboa has taken many years to adapt to desert life; so how are the Black Rats coping with their transition to living in the sand for six months?

"Many of the troops have been out here before and we've all done plenty of training. Of course the Brigade's reputation originates from this kind of environment during World War Two and so there is a long standing tradition of us working in desert conditions. The transition to life in the desert has happened pretty quickly and we're now focused on getting on with the job. We're all looking forward to a sandy Christmas this year too!"