Gerbillinae


Gerbillinae is one of the subfamilies of the rodent family Muridae and includes the gerbils, jirds, and sand rats. Once known as desert rats, the subfamily includes about 110 species of African, Indian, and Asian rodents, including sand rats and jirds, all of which are adapted to arid habitats. Most are primarily active during the day, making them diurnal, and almost all are omnivorous.
The gerbil got its name as a diminutive form of "jerboa", an unrelated group of rodents occupying a similar ecological niche. Gerbils are typically between long, including the tail, which makes up about half of their total length. One species, the great gerbil, originally native to Turkmenistan, can grow to more than. The average adult gerbil weighs about.
One species, the Mongolian gerbil, also known as the clawed jird, is a gentle and hardy animal that has become a popular small house pet. It is also used in some scientific research.
R/ gerbil

Classification

SUBFAMILY GERBILLINAE

Resources