A rock dwelling rodent adapted to arid and mesic environments
A gerbil is a small mammal of the subfamily Gerbillinae in the order Rodentia. Once known 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 active during the day, making them diurnal (but some species, including the common household pet, exhibit crepuscular behavior), and almost all are omnivorous. Gerbils are related to mice and rats; they all belong to the family Muridae.
The gerbil got its name as a diminutive form of “jerboa”, an unrelated group of rodents occupying a similar ecological niche. Gerbils are typically between 150 and 300 mm (6 and 12 in) long, including the tail, which makes up about half of their total length. One species, the great gerbil, Rhombomys opimus, originally native to Turkmenistan, can grow to more than 400 mm (16 in). The average adult gerbil weighs about 70 grams (2 1⁄2 ounces).
A young / baby of a Wagner is called a ‘pup’. The females are called ‘doe’ and males ‘buck’. A Wagner group is called a ‘horde’.
The nocturnal rock-dwelling gerbil (Gerbillus dasyurus) is widely distributed in the steppe deserts of the Arabian peninsula.