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Mongolian gerbil

File:Meriones_unguiculatus_(wild).jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Mongolian gerbil

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species of mammal

Species

Least Concern

Meriones unguiculatus La Gerbille de Mongolie, (Meriones unguiculatus ou Meriones (Pallasiomys) unguiculatus) ou encore Mérione de Mongolie, est un petit rongeur de la famille des Muridés, sous-famille des Gerbilles, genre Meriones. Son habitat naturel est situé dans les régions semi-désertiques du Nord-Est de la Chine et de la Mongolie. En captivité c'est la gerbille d’élevage la plus connue. Elle est considérée légalement en France comme animal domestique.

via IUCN

Wikidata facts

Mass
2.5
Image
202305 Meriones unguiculatus.svg
Show 9 more facts
taxon name
Meriones unguiculatus
Commons category
Meriones unguiculatus
Commons gallery
Meriones unguiculatus
taxon common name
xerbiellu mongol
gestation period
20
litter size
5
longest observed lifespan
6.3
short name
M. unguiculatus
Sources (4)

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Article

Wilhelma Zoo, Stuttgart, Germany Pied cream gerbil in a curious pose The Mongolian gerbil, also referred to as the Mongolian jird (Meriones unguiculatus), is a rodent belonging to the subfamily Gerbillinae. 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. The animal is used in science for research or kept as a small house pet. Their use in science dates back to the later 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.

Taxonomy and evolution

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