What animal has the biggest ears? We know it's the elephant. However, scientists looked at what animal has the biggest ears for its body size. A natural history museum in New York found the answer to this. It is the long-eared jerboa. Not many people know about this cute animal. It is a rodent and lives in the deserts of China. It is nocturnal. This means it is active at night and sleeps during the day.
A zoologist described the jerboa. She said its body is 10 centimetres long. Its ears are up to 5cm long. They are up to 50 per cent as long as its body. Elephant's ears are 17 per cent of its body length. The zoologist said jerboas usually live in very hot places. Their large ears help them to keep cool in the heat. Their ears are thin and have many tiny blood vessels. Blood releases heat from the body. This helps the animal cool down.