What's been heralded as "the Mickey Mouse of the Desert" is quickly under threat of extinction. The jerboa - a rare breed of rodent that looks like a cross between a kangaroo's legs, a pig's nose, an elephant's ears, a mouse's body and a rat's tail is on the official list of the 100 most endangered creatures on the planet.

Most can jump up to a metre high and yet despite this, and many other elaborate defence mechanisms, many fall victim to the simple domestic cat even out in the middle of the desolate Gobi desert.