Gerbillinae
| Gerbil Temporal range: Late Miocene - Recent |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Subfamily: |
Gerbillinae Gray, 1825 |
| Genera | |
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Ammodillus |
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Ammodillus
Brachiones
Desmodilliscus
Desmodillus
Dipodillus
Gerbilliscus
Gerbillurus
Gerbillus
Meriones
Microdillus
Pachyuromys
Psammomys
Rhombomys
Sekeetamys
Tatera
Taterillus
A gerbil is a small mammal of the order Rodentia. Once known simply as "desert rats", the gerbil 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 diurnal (though some, including the common household pet, do exhibit crepuscular behavior), and almost all are omnivorous.
The word "gerbil" is a diminutive form of "jerboa", though the jerboas are an unrelated group of rodents occupying a similar ecological niche.
One Mongolian species, Meriones unguiculatus, also known as the clawed jird, is a gentle and hardy animal that has become a popular pet. It was first brought from China to Paris, France, in the 19th century, and became a popular house pet. It was then brought to the United States in 1954 by Dr. Victor Schwentker for use in research.
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Wikipedia