Mammals of the WorldIndian Desert Jird
Meriones hurrianae
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Muridae
- Genus
- Meriones
- IUCN status
- LC
- Distribution
- Iran|Pakistan|India|Afghanistan?
- Realm
- Palearctic
Other names: Indian Desert Gerbil
About this species
- Size
- Head and body 12–14cm; tail 10–15cm
- Diet
- Seeds, roots, nuts, grasses and insects
- Habitat
- Thar Desert; burrow complexes
- Range
- South-eastern Iran and Pakistan to north-western India (Rajasthan and Gujarat)
The Indian desert jird, or Indian desert gerbil, is found mainly in the Thar Desert. It has a grey-brown coat with a yellowish-grey belly, short ears, long black claws and orange incisors, and it is 12–14 cm long with a 10–15 cm tail. Jirds are closely related to gerbils but lack their long hind feet and their characteristic erect posture, and their tails are shorter than the head and body (Wikipedia, general species account).
In India it occurs in Rajasthan and Gujarat, and elsewhere from south-eastern Iran and Pakistan. Unlike the three common gerbils of India, which are nocturnal, it is diurnal. It is gregarious, with burrows close together, each burrow complex having at least two entrances. It feeds on seeds, roots, nuts, grasses and insects (Wikipedia, general species account).
Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)