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 Berbera gerbil is distributed mainly in Somalia, but its range may extend into Ethiopia and Djibouti. It is endemic to the Ethiopian xeric grasslands and shrublands ecoregion.
Lowe's gerbil is distributed mainly in Sudan; Jebel Marra. Less than 250 individuals of this species are thought to persist in the wild.
The Somalian gerbil is found only in Somalia.
The Khartoum gerbil is found mainly in Sudan.
Wagner's gerbil is a gerbil that is native mainly to the Nile Delta, Israel, the Sinai, Syria, Iraq and the Arabian Peninsula. It also referred to as the rough-tailed dipodil or Wadi Hof gerbil. They are solo, burrowing mammals that are nocturnally active.
The Balochistan gerbil or dwarf gerbil, is distributed mainly from Morocco across north Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East, and western Asia. This is a common species with a wide distribution which faces no obvious threats, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
Waters's gerbil is distributed mainly in Sudan, Somalia, and Djibouti.
Harwood's gerbil is distributed mainly in Kenya.
The lesser Egyptian gerbil is a small species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is native to North Africa and the Sinai Peninsula, where it lives in sandy habitats. It is a common species, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
The greater Egyptian gerbil is a small rodent in the family Muridae. It is native to northern Africa where it inhabits sandy deserts, semi-arid areas and oases. It is a common species, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
Tarabul's gerbil is a species of small rodent which is found in arid regions of north western Africa.
Dunn's gerbil is a rodent species distributed mainly in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somaliland and Djibouti. It is an animal of dry grassland and rocky plains. It is also sometimes called the "Somalia gerbil", not to be confused with the Somalian gerbil or the Somali gerbil.
The North African gerbil is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in North Africa where its natural habitats are arable land and rocky areas of the Maghreb, and hot Saharan deserts.
Dipodillus is a genus of rodent in the family Muridae. It is sometimes classified as a subgenus of the genus Gerbillus.
Mackilligin's gerbil also known as Mackilligin's dipodil, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It occurs in the southeastern deserts of Egypt and Sudan, around the area of the Halaib Triangle. It has been grouped with Dipodillus nanus, but is now considered specifically distinct.
Boehm's gerbil is a species of rodent found in Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, moist savanna, and arable land. This is a common species with a wide distribution which faces no obvious threats, so in 2004 the International Union for Conservation of Nature rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
