Mongolian gerbil

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Mongolian gerbil
Meriones unguiculatus (wild).jpg
Wild gerbil in Mongolia
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Muridae
Genus: Meriones
Species:
M. unguiculatus
Binomial name
Meriones unguiculatus
Wilhelma Zoo, Stuttgart, Germany Meriones unguiculatus - Wilhelma.jpg
Wilhelma Zoo, Stuttgart, Germany
Pied cream gerbil in a curious pose PiedCream Gerbil 2021.jpg
Pied cream gerbil in a curious pose

The Mongolian gerbil or Mongolian jird (Meriones unguiculatus) is a rodent belonging to the subfamily Gerbillinae. [3] Their body size is typically 110–135 mm (4+1⁄4–5+1⁄4 in), with a 95–120 mm (3+3⁄4–4+3⁄4 in) tail, and body weight 60–130 g (2–4+1⁄2 oz), with adult males larger than females. [4] The animal is used in science and research or kept as a small house pet. Their use in science dates back to the latter half of the 19th century, but they only started to be kept as pets in the English-speaking world after 1954, when they were brought to the United States. However, their use in scientific research has fallen out of favor.

Contents

Taxonomy and evolution

The first known mention of gerbils came in 1866, by Father Armand David, who sent "yellow rats" to the French National Museum of Natural History in Paris, from northern China. They were named Gerbillus unguiculatus by the scientist Alphonse Milne-Edwards in 1867. [2]

There is a popular misconception about the meaning of this scientific name, appearing both in printed works [5] and in websites, [6] due to the genus Meriones sharing the name with Greek warrior Meriones in Homer's Iliad ; however, translations like "clawed warrior" are incorrect. The genus was named by Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger in 1811, [7] deriving from the Greek word μηρος (femur). Combined with 'unguiculate', meaning to have claws or nails in Latin, the name can be loosely translated as 'clawed femur'. [8]

Habitat

Mongolian gerbils inhabit grassland, shrubland and desert, including semidesert and steppes in China, Mongolia, and the Russian Federation. [9]

Soil on the steppes is sandy and is covered with grasses, herbs, and shrubs. The steppes have cool, dry winters and hot summers. 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). [10] [ self-published source? ]

In the wild, these gerbils 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. Only the dominant females will produce pups, and will mostly mate with the dominant male while in estrus (heat), female gerbils are generally more loyal than male gerbils[ citation needed ]. One group of gerbils generally ranges over 325–1,550 square metres (400–1,900 sq yd). [11]

A group lives in a central burrow with 10–20 exits. Some deeper burrows with only one to three exits in their territory may 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.[ citation needed ]

In science

Gerbils have a long history of use in scientific research, although nowadays they are rarely used. For example, in the United Kingdom in 2017, only around 300 Mongolian gerbils were used in experimental procedures, compared to over 2 million mice. [12]

Tumblebrook Farm

Most gerbils used in scientific research are derived from the Tumblebrook Farm strain, which has its origins in 20 pairs of wild-caught Mongolian gerbils sent to Japan in 1935. Eleven of these animals were subsequently sent to Dr. V. Schwentker's Tumblebrook Farm in Brant Lake, New York, United States in 1954, [13] with additional animals later sent to Charles River Ltd in Italy in 1996. [14] [15] [16]

Hearing

Gerbils have a wide hearing range, from detection of low frequency foot drumming to higher frequency chirps and therefore may be a more suitable model of human hearing loss than mice and rats, which are high-frequency specialists. [17]

Vocal

Male gerbils can produce ultrasonic sounds with frequencies ranging from approximately 27 to 35 kHz and amplitudes ranging from approximately 0 to 70 dBa. Their larynx is involved in the production of these ultrasonic sounds. Experimentation revealed five findings of interest, which are that adults only emit ultrasonic sounds when stimulated socially, males signal more frequently than females, dominant males are more active in vocalizations than subordinate males, ultrasounds are triggered by conspecific odors, and that d-amphetamine, a central nervous system stimulant, contributes high levels of ultrasounds while chlorpromazine, an antipsychotic medication, lowers the emission rate. In addition, there's been a relationship between the ultrasonic sounds and their ability to reproduce.[ failed verification ] [18]

Epilepsy

10–20% of gerbils exhibit spontaneous epileptiform seizures, typically in response to a stressor such as handling or cage cleaning. [19] Epilepsy in gerbils has a genetic basis, and seizure-prone and seizure-resistant lines have been bred. [20] [21]

Diabetes

Like other desert rodents such as fat sandrats, Mongolian gerbils are susceptible to diet-induced diabetes, although incidence is low. [22] A diabetes-prone line has recently been generated, showing that gerbil diabetes has at least some genetic basis. [23] [24]

Genetics and genomics

Laboratory gerbils are derived from a small number of founders, and so genetic diversity was generally assumed to be low. Initial genetic studies based on small numbers of genetic markers appeared to support this, [25] [26] but more recent genome-wide Genotyping-by-Sequencing (GBS) data has shown that genetic diversity is actually quite high. [14] It has been suggested that laboratory gerbils should be considered domesticated, and designated "M. unguiculatus forma domestica" to differentiate them from wild animals. [27] A Mongolian gerbil genome sequence was published in 2018 [28] and a genetic map comprising 22 linkage groups (one per chromosome) in 2019. [29]

Reproduction

Mongolian gerbil young 2-day-old Mongolian gerbils.jpg
Mongolian gerbil young

In the wild, Mongolian gerbils breed in February and October. Males do not become sexually mature for about 70–80 days, while the vaginal opening occurs in females about 33–50 days after birth. [30] For other gerbils such as the hairy footed gerbil, sexual maturity has a slightly earlier and longer window of 60-90 [31] days in comparison with a later and shorter window for Mongolian gerbils, 70–84 days. [30] Females reach sexual maturity shortly after this opening occurs. They experience oestrus cycles every 4–6 days. Mongolian gerbils are regarded as monogamous within science. [32] Even with this said, many Mongolian gerbils have still been found in laboratory tests regarding their sexual reproduction behavior to have shown signs of promiscuity and mating with other females while their monogamous partner is absent in laboratory setting. [32]

Gerbils are for the most part selective when it comes to picking a mate for copulation. An average litter size for the Mongolian Gerbil is around 4–8 pups. If the litter only contains around 1–2 young then the mother will neglect them and they will die from starvation. [32] Mongolian Gerbils are monogamous and mate with their selected partner for life. When their mate dies, many gerbils refrain from seeking other mates to reproduce with. [32] Males generally find new mates whereas females may not. When older females lose their mate they almost always give up on seeking reproduction. [32] Their behavior tends to vary when faced with different settings; in the wild, the large population of gerbils means that finding and selecting a mate is not a problem. Within a laboratory setting, though, many gerbils tend to keep to themselves and refrain from copulation. [32]

Behavior

Gerbils are social animals, and live in groups in the wild. [33] They rely on their sense of smell to identify other members of their clan. [34] Gerbils are known to attack and often kill those carrying an unfamiliar scent. Groups of gerbils often have a "dominant" gerbil which may "bully" the others by humping them. [35]

Relationship with humans

As pets

Pet gerbils eating millet 4rennmaeuse.jpg
Pet gerbils eating millet
Pet gerbil eating toilet paper 2008-02-16 Mongolian gerbil eating toilet paper roll.jpg
Pet gerbil eating toilet paper

A gentle and hardy animal, the Mongolian gerbil has become a popular small house pet. It was first brought from China to Paris in the 19th century, and became a popular house pet there. [36] It was later brought to the United States in 1954 by Dr. Victor Schwentker for use in research. [37] Dr. Schwentker soon recognized their potential as pet animals. [38] Selective breeding for the pet trade has resulted in a wide range of different color and pattern varieties. [39] Gerbils became popular pets in the US around the late 1950s and were imported to the United Kingdom in 1964, where they became popular pets too. [40] They are now found in pet shops throughout the UK and the US.

However, due to the threat they pose to indigenous ecosystems and existing agricultural operations, it is illegal to purchase, import, or keep a gerbil as a pet in the U.S. state of California. [41] It is also illegal to import the animal into New Zealand and Australia. [42] [43]

Gerbils enjoy human company. Gerbils enjoy human company.jpg
Gerbils enjoy human company.

Gerbils are typically not aggressive, and they rarely bite unprovoked or without stress. They are small and easy to handle, since they are sociable creatures that enjoy the company of humans and other gerbils. [44] [45] Gerbils also have adapted their kidneys to produce a minimum of waste to conserve body fluids, which makes them very clean with little odor. Gerbils have many different aesthetic coat patterns, such as pied slate, described below.

Health concerns

Misalignment of incisors due to injury or malnutrition may result in overgrowth, which can cause injury to the roof of the mouth. Symptoms include a dropped or loss of appetite, drooling, weight loss, or foul breath. [46]

Common injuries are caused by gerbils being dropped or falling, often while inside of a hamster ball, which can cause broken limbs or a fractured spine (for which there is no treatment). [46] [47]

A common problem for all small rodents is neglect, which can cause the gerbils to not receive adequate food and water, causing serious health concerns, including dehydration, starvation, stomach ulcers, eating of bedding material, and cannibalism. [46]

Between 20 and 50% of pet gerbils have the seizure disorder epilepsy. [48] The seizures are thought to be caused by fright, handling, or a new environment. The attacks can be mild to severe, but do not typically appear to have any long-term effects, except for rare cases where death results from very severe seizures. [49] A way to prevent a gerbil from having a seizure is to refrain from blowing in the animal's face (often used to "train" the pet not to bite). This technique is used in a lab environment to induce seizures for medical research. [50]

Tumors, both benign and malignant, are fairly common in pet gerbils, and are most common in females over the age of two. Usually, the tumors involve the ovaries, causing an extended abdomen, or the skin, with tumors most often developing around the ears, feet, midabdomen, and base of the tail, appearing as a lump or abscess. [49]

Gerbils can lose their tails due to improper handling, being attacked by another animal, or getting their tails stuck. The first sign is a loss of fur from the tip of the tail, then, the skinless tail dies off and sloughs, with the stump usually healing without complications. [49]

The most common infectious disease in gerbils is Tyzzer's disease, a bacterial disease, which stress can make animals more susceptible to. It produces symptoms such as ruffled fur, lethargy, hunched posture, poor appetite, diarrhoea, and often death. It quickly spreads between gerbils in close contact. [49]

A problem with the inner ear may cause a gerbil to lean noticeably to one side. This may be caused by ear infections. Gerbils with "extreme white spotting" colouring are susceptible to deafness; this is thought to be due to the lack of pigmentation in and around the ear. [51]

Captive-bred gerbils

A Burmese colored gerbil Burmese colored gerbil.jpg
A Burmese colored gerbil
A male and female fat-tailed gerbil (Pachyuromys duprasi) Pachyuromys-duprasi PeterMaas.jpg
A male and female fat-tailed gerbil (Pachyuromys duprasi)

Many color varieties of gerbils are available in pet shops today, generally the result of years of selective breeding.

Over 20 different coat colors occur in the Mongolian gerbil, which has been captive-bred the longest. [52]

The fat-tailed gerbil or duprasi is also kept as a pet. They are smaller than the common Mongolian gerbils, and have long, soft coats and short, fat tails, appearing more like a hamster. The variation on the normal duprasi coat is more gray in color, which may be a mutation, or it may be the result of hybrids between the Egyptian and Algerian subspecies of duprasi. [53] [54]

White spotting has been reported in not only the Mongolian gerbil, but also the pallid gerbil [55] and possibly Sundervall's Jird. [56]

A long-haired mutation, a grey agouti or chinchilla mutation, white spotting, and possibly a dilute mutation have also appeared in Shaw's jirds, [57] and white spotting and a dilute mutation have shown up in bushy-tailed jirds. [58]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamster</span> Subfamily of rodents (Cricetinae)

Hamsters are rodents belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae, which contains 19 species classified in seven genera. They have become established as popular small pets. The best-known species of hamster is the golden or Syrian hamster, which is the type most commonly kept as a pet. Other hamster species commonly kept as pets are the three species of dwarf hamster, Campbell's dwarf hamster, the winter white dwarf hamster and the Roborovski hamster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mouse</span> Small long-tailed rodent

A mouse is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse. Mice are also popular as pets. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are locally common. They are known to invade homes for food and shelter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden hamster</span> Species of rodent

The golden hamster or Syrian hamster is a rodent belonging to the hamster subfamily, Cricetinae. Their natural geographical range is in an arid region of northern Syria and southern Turkey. Their numbers have been declining in the wild due to a loss of habitat from agriculture and deliberate elimination by humans. Thus, wild golden hamsters are now considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. However, captive breeding programs are well established, and captive-bred golden hamsters are often kept as small house pets. They are also used as scientific research animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerbillinae</span> Subfamily of mammals (rodents; Gerbillinae)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campbell's dwarf hamster</span> Species of hamster

Campbell's dwarf hamster is a species of hamster in the genus Phodopus. It was given its common name by Oldfield Thomas in honor of Charles William Campbell, who collected the first specimen in Mongolia on July 1, 1902. It is distinguished from the closely related Djungarian hamster as it has smaller ears and no dark fur on its crown. Campbell's dwarf hamster typically has a narrow dorsal stripe compared to the Djungarian hamster and grey fur on the stomach. This hamster may be raised in captivity and kept as a small pet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Small mammals as pets</span> Small pet mammal, possibly exotic

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamster wheel</span> Toy used by rodents such as hamsters, gerbils or mice to exercise in confined spaces such as a cage

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<i>Meriones</i> (rodent) Genus of rodents

Meriones is a rodent genus that includes the gerbil most commonly kept as a pet, Meriones unguiculatus. The genus contains most animals referred to as jirds, but members of the genera Sekeetamys, Brachiones, and sometimes Pachyuromys are also known as jirds. The distribution of Meriones ranges from northern Africa to Mongolia. Meriones jirds tend to inhabit arid regions including clay desert, sandy desert, and steppe, but are also in slightly wetter regions, and are an agricultural pest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libyan jird</span> Species of rodent

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midday jird</span> Species of rodent

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Persian jird</span> Species of rodent

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Buxton's jird is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in the Negev desert and the northern coastal parts of the Sinai peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tamarisk jird</span> Species of mammals belonging to the gerbil subfamily of rodents

The tamarisk jird or tamarisk gerbil is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. It prefers habitats with grass or shrub cover.

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

Tristram's jird is a species of rodent that lives in the Middle East. It is named after the Reverend Henry Baker Tristram who collected the first specimens. It is up to 155 mm (6.1 in) long, and lives in burrows in steppes and semi-deserts from Turkey and the Caucasus to Israel and Iran. Records from the Greek island of Kos represent the only gerbils reported from Europe, outside the former Soviet Union. It is a common, widespread species, and is not considered to be threatened.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodent</span> Order of mammals

Rodents are mammals of the order Rodentia, which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are native to all major land masses except for Antarctica, and several oceanic islands, though they have subsequently been introduced to most of these land masses by human activity.

Zuleyma Tang-Martínez is an emeritus professor of biology at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. Earlier in her career she published under her former married name, Zuleyma Tang Halpin.

References

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  25. ↑ Neumann, K; Maak, S; Stuermer, IW; von Lengerken, G; Gattermann, R (2001). "Low microsatellite variation in laboratory gerbrils". The Journal of Heredity. 92 (1): 71–4. doi: 10.1093/jhered/92.1.71 . PMID   11336232.
  26. ↑ Razzoli, M; Papa, R; Valsecchi, P; Nonnis Marzano, F (2003). "AFLP to assess genetic variation in laboratory gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus)". The Journal of Heredity. 94 (6): 507–11. doi: 10.1093/jhered/esg097 . PMID   14691317.
  27. ↑ Stuermer, Ingo W.; Plotz, Karsten; Leybold, Axel; Zinke, Olaf; Kalberlah, Otto; Samjaa, Ravchikh; Scheich, Henning (January 2003). "Intraspecific Allometric comparison of Laboratory gerbils with Mongolian Gerbils Trapped in the Wild Indicates Domestication in Meriones unguiculatus (Milne-Edwards, 1867) (Rodentia: Gerbillinae)". Zoologischer Anzeiger. 242 (3): 249–266. doi:10.1078/0044-5231-00102.
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