Gerbil
es:Jerbo fr:Gerbille
 | ||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
A gerbil is a small mammal of the order Rodentia.
Once known simply as "desert rats," the gerbil family includes 89 species of African, Indian, and Asian rodents, including sand rats and jirds, all of which are adapted to arid habitats. Therefore, most are primarily nocturnal, and almost all are omnivorous.
One Mongolian species, Meriones Unguiculatus, also known as the Clawed Jird, is a gentle and hardy animal that has become a popular pet. It was first brought to the United States in 1954 by Dr. Victor Schwentker for use in research.
Gerbils are typically between six and twelve inches (150 to 300 mm) long, and their tail makes up approximately one half of their total length. One species, however, the Great Gerbil, or Rhombomys opimus, originally native to Turkmenistan, can grow to more than 16 inches (400 mm) in length. As of August 19, 2003, officials in western China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region began releasing eagles to combat the damage they say the great gerbils have done to eleven million acres (46,000 km²) of grassland.[1] (http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/east/08/19/china.gerbils.reut/)
Family Cricetidae
Family Cricetidae, the hamster-like rodents, belongs to the superfamily Muridae, which also includes mice and rats. Subfamily Gerbilinae consists of the following 14 genera, 9 subgenera and 89 species:
Genus Gerbillus (Typical gerbils; Northern pygmy gerbils)
- subgenus Handecapleura
- campestris
- dasyurus
- mackilligini
- jamesi
- maghrebi
- stigmonyx
- amoenus
- poecilops
- famulus
- nanus
- watersi
- mesopotamiae
- henleyi
- syrticus
- pusillus
- ruberrimus
- bottai
- muriculus
- mauritaniae
- subgenus Dipodillus
- simony
- zakariai
- subgenus Gerbillus
- gerbillus
- cheesmani
- aquilus
- gleadowi
- andersoni
- pyramidum
- allenbyi
- hesperinus
- pulvinatus
- perpallidus
- riggenbachi
- latastei
- hoogstraali
- occiduus
- rosalinda
- agag
- nancillus
Genus Meriones (Jirds)
- subgenus Parameriones
- persicus
- rex
- subgenus Cheliones
- hurrianae
- subgenus Meriones
- vinogradovi
- tamariscinus
- tristrami
- subgenus Pallasiomys
- unguiculatus
- meridianus
- chengi
- shawi
- libycus
- caudatus
- crassus
- sacramenti
- zarudnyi
Genus Psammomys (Sand rats)
- obesus
- vexillaris
Genus Rhombomys (Larger gerbil)
- opimus ("Great Gerbil")
Genus Pachyuromys (Fat-tailed gerbil)
- duprasi
Genus Tatera (Large naked-soled gerbils)
- subgenus Gerbilliscus
- boehmi
- subgenus Tatera
- indica
- leucogaster
- nigricauda
- robusta
- guineae
- phillipsi
- afra
- valida
- gambiana
- brantsi
- inclusa
- pringlei
Genus Desmodillus (Short-eared gerbil)
- auricularis
Genus Microdillus (listed as a subgenus of Gerbillus until 1977)
- peeli
Genus Taterillus (Small naked-soled gerbils)
- gracilis
- petteri
- pygargus
- arenarius
- lacustris
- congicus
- harringtoni
- emini
Genus Desmodilliscus
- braueri
Genus Ammodillus (Walo)
- imbellis
Genus Brachiones (Przewalski's gerbil)
- przewalski (discovered by Nikolay Mikhaylovich Przhevalsky)
Genus Gerbillurus (Southern pygmy gerbils)
- paeba
- tytonis
- vallinus
- setzeri
Genus Sekeetamys (Bushy-tailed jird; listed as a subgenus of Meriones until 1956)
- calurus
External links
- The National Gerbil Society (U.K.) (http://www.gerbils.co.uk/)
- The American Gerbil Society (http://www.agsgerbils.org/)
- Molecular analysis of gerbil coat colour genes (http://toffelholm.dyndns.org/Molecular_analysis_of_gerbil_coat_colour_genes)
Gerbil (chess) also refers to a chess engine.
nl:Gerbil