Sand rat
The Fat sand rat is a gerbil species, endemic to desert areas, where it maintains a usual rodent diet, primarily consisting of leaves. This species was accidentally found in Egypt by the US Naval Medical Research Unit. In spite of the common name, this heavy-built rodent is not a rat. As a matter of fact, the sand rat is so called due to occurring on the sandy beaches of the Nile Delta, where it has been trapped. Meanwhile, they are called 'fat rats' because of their bulky appearance, which is more prominent in mature males. Females of this species are distinguished by leaner body as well as agility.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CrepuscularCrepuscular animals are those that are active primarily during twilight (that is, the periods of dawn and dusk). This is distinguished from diurnal...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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FolivoreIn zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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FossorialA fossorial animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, ...
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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BurrowingA burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct ...
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SolitaryNo
Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe Fat sand rats are distributed throughout North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Their African range extends eastwards from Mauritania to Egypt and Sudan. As ground-dwelling rodents, they generally occur in sandy deserts. Other suitable habitats include rocky terrain, saline-marsh areas and loess plains.
The Fat sand rats are solitary and diurnal animals. Their daytime activity largely depends on season and temperature above the ground. During the winter months, the peak activity occurs in the midday, lasting for around 5 hours. Coming out of their dwellings, these rodents spend their time sunbathing, flattening their body as well as absorbing heat by outstretching their legs. Throughout the summer months, activity usually takes place in the early morning and afternoon. During this period, the rodents try to escape scorching midday sun. In areas where the night temperature is warm enough, they may also exhibit some activity during the nighttime hours. Communication is generally made by foot drumming as well as vocalizations such as high-pitched squeaks, although the purpose of these types of communication is unknown. However, these high-pitched squeaks are believed to serve as an alert against when threatened.
The diet of these herbivores (folivores) rodents generally consists of leaves of various succulent plants. They are known to especially favor salt bushes of the Chenopodiaceae family, supplementing this diet with barley and other grains.
The reproductive system of this species is insufficiently explored, although the dominant males are known to have considerably larger territories that overlap with these of multiple females. Hence, the Fat sand rats may have a polygynous mating system, where one male mates with a number of females. Breeding occurs from December to April. Gestation period lasts for 24 days, yielding a litter of 1 - 7 babies. Females are able to produce 2 - 4 litter during each season. Newborn rats are completely hairless. They come with closed eyes that open at 1 week old. The young are weaned by 3 weeks old. The age of sexual maturity is 4 months old for males and 3 - 3.5 months old for females.
Currently, the population of these animals as a whole is not threatened.
According to IUCN, the Fat sand rat is common and widespread throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. Today, this species’ numbers are stable and it is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.
Fat sand rats may have an impact on the populations of the bushes they consume. In addition, they are an important prey for the local predators.
