Lesser Egyptian gerbil

Last updated

Contents

Lesser Egyptian gerbil
Cambridge Natural History Mammalia Fig 236.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Muridae
Genus: Gerbillus
Species:
G. gerbillus
Binomial name
Gerbillus gerbillus
(Olivier, 1801)
Gerbillus gerbillus distribution.png

The lesser Egyptian gerbil (Gerbillus gerbillus) 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".

Description

This is a small gerbil growing to a head-and-body length of about 88 mm (3.5 in) with a tail of about 117 mm (4.6 in). The dorsal fur is soft and sleek and a sandy colour, each hair having a grey base and orangish shaft, and a dark tip in some individuals. The ears are large and densely furred and there are white rings around the large eyes and small white patches behind the ears. The flanks are paler than the back, with a white central part to the individual hairs. There is a white patch on the rump just above the tail, and the underparts are white and sharply delineated from the flanks. The feet are long and covered with white hairs of variable length. The tail is sandy above and white below, usually with a terminal white or grey tuft of hairs. 2n = 42. [2]

Distribution and habitat

The lesser Egyptian gerbil is native to most of North Africa, its range extending from Morocco and Mauritania to Egypt, the Sinai Peninsula and southern Israel, and southward to northern Mali, northern Niger, northern Chad and Sudan. [2] :308 It prefers sandy locations and is found among dunes, in dune slacks with sparse vegetation, and in areas of wind-blown sand in wadis, palm groves, and oases. [2] They are seldom found in coastal habitats or in the middle of large dune fields, but are attracted to transient settlements and camel dung. [3]

Ecology

This gerbil digs a complex burrow which can be 4.5 m (15 ft) in length and up to 60 cm (2 ft) deep; this has branching passages and chambers for storing food and nesting materials. The humidity inside the burrow is high even when it is very low outside. This species is gregarious, and a number of individuals may share a burrow. These gerbils often live in close vicinity to the Anderson's gerbil, the Sundevall's jird, the greater Egyptian gerbil and the lesser Egyptian jerboa. [3]

The lesser Egyptian gerbil is nocturnal. Its diet includes seeds and fruits, sometimes supplemented by buds and leaves, and by insects in the spring. [2] It consumes fallen dates and investigates camel dung in order to feed on any seeds it may find. It sometimes enters homes to search for food. [3] It is active throughout the year, with breeding activity being related to the temperature and day length, and fecundity to food availability. Litters vary in size, with three to six young being normal, and population sizes vary considerably. Predators include the pale fox, the barn owl, and the sand viper. This gerbil shows a homing ability, with 50% of individuals displaced from their burrow by 1,000 m (3,300 ft) being able to find their way home, and 20% displaced by 2,000 m (6,600 ft). [2]

Status

This gerbil has a very wide range across North Africa. It is a common species with the population size varying from year to year but in the long term appearing to be stable. No particular threats have been identified, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern". [1]

Related Research Articles

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balochistan gerbil</span> Species of rodent

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".

Botta's gerbil is a species of gerbil endemic to Sudan and possibly northern Kenya. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, it was listed as Least Concern in 1996 until it was listed as Data Deficient in 2004. According to a 2013 book, it is known from a few specimens taken from four or five localities in a small area between the rivers White Nile and Blue Nile; its habitat is fields of vegetables and cereals. Aside from this information, nothing else is known about the species including its population and threats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheesman's gerbil</span> Species of rodent

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.

Anderson's gerbil is a species of rodent distributed from Tunisia to Israel. Their habitats and diets are similar to other gerbils. The gestation period is 20–22 days and the average litter size is four or five. The IUCN formerly listed the junior synonym Gerbillus allenbyi as vulnerable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Egyptian gerbil</span> Species of rodent

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".

Flower's gerbil is a large gerbil distributed mainly in Egypt, from the eastern fringes of the Nile delta to the Sinai Peninsula, south of El Arish. Less than 250 individuals of this species are thought to persist in the wild, but it is not considered to be at threat, since it is common within its area of habitat and nothing poses a direct threat to it. This species is found in rocky desert, sandy coastal plains, grass valleys, palm tree groves and cultivated areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarabul's gerbil</span> Species of rodent

Tarabul's gerbil is a species of small rodent which is found in arid regions of north western Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fat-tailed gerbil</span> Species of rodent

The fat-tailed gerbil, also called the duprasi gerbil or doop, is a rodent belonging to the subfamily Gerbillinae. It is only species in the genus Pachyuromys. They are frequently kept as pets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North African gerbil</span> Species of rodent

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hairy-footed gerbil</span> Species of mammal from Southern Africa

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 dune hairy-footed gerbil, or the Namib dune gerbil 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brants's whistling rat</span> Species of rodent

Brants's whistling rat or Brants' whistling rat is one of two species of murid rodent in the genus Parotomys. It is found in Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and pastureland. It was first described in 1834 by the Scottish zoologist Andrew Smith who named it in honour of the Dutch zoologist and author Anton Brants.

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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highveld gerbil</span> Species of rodent

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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Egyptian jerboa</span> Species of mammal

The greater Egyptian jerboa is a species of rodent in the family Dipodidae. It is found in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and is possibly extinct in the Negev Desert of Israel. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, sandy shores, and arable land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitaker's shrew</span> Species of mammal

Whitaker's shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in Western Sahara, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, rocky and sandy coasts. It is a fairly common species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".

References

  1. 1 2 Granjon, L. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Gerbillus gerbillus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T9123A115090506. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T9123A22463965.en .
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Kingdon, Jonathan; Happold, David; Butynski, Thomas; Hoffmann, Michael; Happold, Meredith; Kalina, Jan (2013). Mammals of Africa. A&C Black. pp. 308–309. ISBN   978-1-4081-8996-2.
  3. 1 2 3 "Lesser Egyptian gerbil". National Gerbil Society. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 9 July 2019.