Mongolian jird
The Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) is a small burrowing rodent often used in science and kept as a small house pet. Their use in science dates back to the latter half of the 19th century but these small animals became popular as pets in the English-speaking world after 1954, when they were brought to the United States.
Di
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 ...
He
HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
Gr
GraminivoreIn zoology, a graminivore (not to be confused with a granivore) is an herbivorous animal that feeds primarily on grass. Graminivory is a form of g...
Te
TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Fo
FossorialA fossorial animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, ...
Bu
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 ...
Al
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 ...
Vi
ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
Mo
MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
So
SocialNo
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.
M
starts withTi
Tiny AnimalsMongolian gerbils are more rat-like in appearance but are still capable of leaping. They have strong front claws, used to dig their burrows. Their fur is yellowish with grey roots and blackish tips. The fur on their bellies is white. Adult males are typically larger than females.
Mongolian gerbils are found in China, Mongolia, and the Russian Federation. They inhabit grassland, shrubland, and desert, including semidesert and steppes. They prefer sandy soil that is covered with grasses, herbs, and shrubs. The steppes have cool, dry winters and hot summers where the temperature can get up to 50 °C (122 °F), but the average temperature for most of the year is around 20 °C (68 °F).
Mongolian gerbils are very social animals; they live in patriarchal groups generally consisting of one parental pair, the most recent litter, and a few older pups, sometimes the dominant female's sister(s) also live with them. Each group of gerbils occupies a territory that generally ranges over 325-1,550 square meters (0.08-0.38 acres). A group lives in a central burrow with 10-20 exits, however, some deeper burrows with only 1 to 3 exits in their territory may also exist. These deeper burrows are used to escape from predators when they are too far from the central burrow. A group's burrows often interconnect with other groups. Mongolian gerbils rely on their sense of smell to identify other members of their clan and may attack and often kill those carrying an unfamiliar scent. These small animals are diurnal but may also be active during the night. They spend much of their time foraging and are known to store food in burrows for later. During the hottest and coldest part of the day, they typically hide in their burrows and stay inactive in order to save energy.
Mongolian gerbils are herbivores (graminivores) and eat various grasses and flowering plants. They may also consume fruits, berries, seeds, and grains.
Mongolian gerbils are monogamous and mate with their selected partner for the rest of their time together. Within each family group, only the dominant females will produce pups and they will mate only with the dominant male. Mongolian gerbils breed during the months of February and October. The gestation period usually lasts 23-26 days and the average litter size is around 4-8 pups. The young are born blind, naked, and helpless weighing about 2.5 grams each. They are weaned at 1.5 months old and become reproductively mature between 2 and 5 months of age.
Mongolian gerbils are not considered threatened at present. However, they suffer from wildfires and are often persecuted as pests.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Mongolian gerbil total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...