| Dune hairy-footed gerbil | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Genus: | Gerbillurus |
| Species: | G. tytonis |
| Binomial name | |
| Gerbillurus tytonis | |
The dune hairy-footed gerbil, [3] or the Namib dune gerbil [1] (Gerbillurus tytonis) is a species of rodent found only in Namibia. Its natural habitat is temperate desert where it lives in loose sand among sand dunes, feeding opportunistically on arthropods, seeds and green vegetation.
The dune hairy-footed gerbil is a moderate-sized Gerbillurus species with a head-and-body length of 99 mm (3.9 in) and a long tail. The head is narrow with a pointed muzzle, large eyes, and long, sparsely-haired ears. The upper parts of the head and body are a rich chestnut, sharply delineated from the underparts, which are white. There is a small white patch above each eye. The legs are white, the forelegs being much shorter than the hind legs. There are five toes on each foot, with the toes of the hind feet being long and flared. All the feet have well-furred soles and a distinctive fringe of hairs on each toe. The tail is very long, being chestnut above and white below, and tipped with a tuft of greyish hairs. [3]
This gerbil is endemic to the deserts of western Namibia, where it occurs in areas with high or low sand dunes, and in dune hummocks. [1] Its range consists of an area near the coast between Swakopmund and Lüderitz. It favours habitats with shifting sand and some plant life, avoiding hard compact dune valley floors. The burrow is often dug beside Trianthema hereroensis or Stipagrostis sabulicola plants, whose roots stabilise the soil, or in the hummocks of spiny growth formed by Acanthosicyos horridus (nara) plants. [3]
The dune hairy-footed gerbil is nocturnal and moves by leaping, being able to cover up to 41 cm (16 in) in a single jump. It keeps cool by day by remaining underground in its burrow. This may be branched, have more than one entrance, and be up to 1 m (40 in) long. Inside the burrow there are caches of food and a nest chamber filled with shredded plant matter. The gerbil's diet includes arthropods and seeds, and green vegetation when available. This gerbil concentrates its urine, and has no need to drink as long as its food is rich in arthropods and does not entirely consist of dry seeds. It maintains the condition of its coat by frequent sand-bathing. [3]
This species is common in its dune habitat. It is presumed to have a large total population and no specific threats have been identified. It is present in some protected areas and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern". [1]
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 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".
Cheesman's gerbil is a small rodent in the subfamily Gerbillinae of the family Muridae. It is distributed mainly in Arabian Peninsula to southwestern Iran. It has orange-brown fur, white underparts, large eyes and a very long tail.
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".
The Indian desert jird or Indian desert gerbil is a species of jird found mainly in the Thar Desert in India. Jirds are closely related to gerbils.
The hairy-footed dunnart is a dunnart that has silver hairs on the soles of it hind feet accompanied by long hair on the side of its sole. It is an Australian marsupial similar to the Ooldea dunnart, with its upper body yellow-brown and lower body white in colour. Its total length is 14.7–18 cm (5.8–7.1 in); its average body length is 7.2–8.5 cm (2.8–3.3 in) with a tail of 7.5–9.5 cm (3.0–3.7 in). Its ear length is 15 mm (0.59 in). It weighs between 13 and 19 g. Its tail is thin and pinkish-white and can be thickened at the base.
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.
The hairy-footed gerbil is a species of rodent found in Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, temperate shrubland, hot deserts, sandy shores, and urban areas. All members of this genus have hair on the soles of their feet, hence the name. They prefer sandy soil or sandy alluvium with grass, scrub or light woodland cover.
The Namib brush-tailed gerbil or Setzer's hairy-footed gerbil is a species of rodent endemic to Angola and Namibia. Its natural habitats are sandy and gravelly plains. It stays in its burrow by day, emerging at night to feed on arthropods, vegetable matter, and seeds.
The bushy-tailed hairy-footed gerbil is a species of rodent found in Namibia and South Africa. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, temperate grassland, and hot deserts. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The Libyan jird is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Western China. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, intermittent saline lakes, hot deserts, and rural gardens.
Littledale's whistling rat is one of two species of murid rodent in the genus Parotomys, the other being Brants's whistling rat. It is found in Namibia and South Africa. Its natural habitats are temperate shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, and temperate desert.
The ash-grey mouse is a rodent in the family Muridae. Larger and more robust than Mus musculus, the common house mouse, it is found only in Southwest Australia.
The highveld gerbil is a species of rodent found in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, temperate shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, temperate grassland, and temperate desert. This is a common species with a wide range and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it as being of "least concern" as of 2008.
The Guinean gerbil is a species of rodent found in Burkina Faso, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and possibly Liberia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, dry savanna, rocky areas and arable land, but it is mostly found in areas laterite or clay soils, and with variable amounts of vegetation and dense scrub. This species is described as common and has a stable population and a wide distribution, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
The gracile tateril or slender gerbil is a species of rodent found in Burkina Faso, Chad, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, and possibly Cameroon. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, arable land, pastureland, and rural gardens. It is a common species, sometimes considered an agricultural pest, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
The desert rain frog, web-footed rain frog, or Boulenger's short-headed frog is a species of frog in the family Brevicipitidae. It is found in Namibia and South Africa. Its natural habitat is the narrow strip of sandy shores between the sea and the sand dunes. It is threatened by habitat loss by such factors as mining and tourism.
Thirty-seven species of mammals have been identified at Indiana Dunes National Park. Four other species are thought to inhabit the park, but have not been documented: the northern long-eared myotis, the Indiana bat, the hoary bat, and the southern bog lemming
Pachydactylus rangei, the Namib sand gecko or Namib web-footed gecko, is a species of small lizard in the family Gekkonidae. It inhabits the arid areas of Angola, Namibia, and South Africa, and was first described in 1908 by Swedish zoologist Lars Gabriel Andersson, who named it after its finder, German geologist Dr. Paul Range.
Arctotheca populifolia is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common names beach daisy, Cape beach daisy, South African beach daisy, coast capeweed, dune arctotheca, beach pumpkin, sea pumpkin, dune cabbage, and in South Africa, seepampoen, tonteldoek, and strandgousblom. This species is native to South Africa. It was introduced to Australia and is now a common weed of coastal areas in New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia.
