The jerboa is a bipedal rodent with “normal” arms and unique legs that allow it to bound through the deserts of Africa and Asia. It has extraordinarily long hindlimbs (particularly the feet), fused metatarsals, three toes, and no foot muscles. Our lab capitalizes on these specialized features of the jerboa hindlimb, the strengths of mouse genetic engineering, and the close evolutionary relationship of the two species to understand the mechanisms that shape limb form and function in development and evolution. Read More…