Meriones unguiculatus
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| Meriones unguiculatus Milne-Edwards, 1867 |
Meriones unguiculatus is a rodent belonging to subfamily Gerbillinae. They are the most widely known species of the Gerbil subfamily. Often called the Mongolian Gerbil or Mongolian Jird, due to its original habitat (Mongolia), it is the primary gerbil species to have been made a pet. Similar to the hamster, it was first brought to the United States in 1954 by Dr. Victor Schwentker for use in research.
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Origin
The gerbil species Meriones unguiculatus originally developed on the semi-deserts and steppes of Mongolia. There, they developed long legs for jumping and running from predators, teeth to deal with hard seeds and plant matter, and water conservation techniques that allow them to survive in the arid climate, such as storing water in layers of fat cells. Mongolian gerbils do not have many natural enemies due to the harsh climate. Most predators are birds-of-prey or snakes. Mongolian gerbils are diurnal, but return to their burrows for the coldest and hottest parts of the day.
Habitat
The species Meriones unguiculatus came originally from Mongolia. Their habitat in Mongolia is mainly semi-deserts and steppes. 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° Celsius (122° Fahrenheit), but the average temperature for most of the year is around 20° Celsius (68° F.).
In the wild these gerbils live in groups generally consisting of one parental pair and the last few litters. Only the dominant female and male produce pups. One group of gerbils generally ranges over 325 to 1550 square meters (.0001 to .0005 square miles).
A group lives in a central burrow with 10-20 exits. Some deeper burrows with only 1-3 exits in their territory may exist. These deeper burrows are used to escape from predators when they are too far from the central burrow.
History
The first known mention of gerbils came in 1866, by Father Armand David, who sent "yellow rats" to the Museum of Natural History (Musée d'Histoire Naturelle) in Paris, from northern China. They were named Meriones unguiculatus by the scientist Milne-Edwards in 1867. This Latin name means "clawed warrior" in English, partly from the Greek warrior Meriones in Homer's Iliad.
Gerbils only became popular pets after 1954, when twenty breeding pairs of gerbils were brought to the United States from eastern Mongolia for scientific testing. Almost all pet gerbils today are descended from these forty. Gerbils were brought to the United Kingdom in 1964 from the United States.
Major Colors
- Agouti - All mongolian gerbils in the wild are agouti. The hairs on its back are black with brown/orange in the middle, making an even mix of orange with black ticking. The belly is greyish white. Spotted individuals (which are not found in nature) are slightly lighter. An agouti gerbil has black eyes.
- Argente - An argente gerbil is tan with a white belly. It has deep ruby eyes. If one were to brush back the fur on its back, one would see that the roots are grey. The spotted variety is slightly lighter than the solid variety.
- Black - A black gerbil is black both on its back and on its belly. It most often has a "bib" or white line running down its chin. It also may have some white on its paws. Any white on the belly is due to spotting and will be irregularly shaped in most cases. A black gerbil has black eyes.
- Burmese - for the first part of its life, a burmese gerbil is a dark chocolate color both on its back and on its belly. At eight weeks, it molts and the tail, nose, feet and tips of the ear go black while the main body color stays the same. Often has a "bib" or white line running down the chin. It also may have some white on its paws. Spotted burmese gerbils are slightly lighter in color. All burmese gerbils have black eyes.
- Colorpoint Agouti - A colorpoint agouti has a white base with a liberal amount of silvery-brownish ticking along the back. The belly is white and the eyes are black.
- Dark Eyed Honey - A Dark Eyed Honey gerbil starts out a brownish-orange color with a white belly. At 8 weeks it molts and minimal black ticking appears along its back. A Dark Eyed Honey has black eyes.
- Grey Agouti - The hairs on the back of a Grey Agouti are dark grey with white in the middle, making an even salt-and-pepper look. The belly is greyish white. Spotted individuals are slightly lighter. Grey Agouti's have black eyes and are also known as Chinchillas.
- Light Colorpoint Agouti - A light colorpoint agouti has a white base with a small amount of silvery-brownish ticking along the back. Its belly is white and its eyes are black.
- Light Red Fox - A light red fox is a light creamy red color over it's entire body, with the color lightening somewhat through the belly area. It often has a "bib" or white line running down the chin. It may also have some white on its paws. Any white on the belly is due to spotting and will be irregularly shaped in most cases. A light red fox has ruby eyes.
- Light Yellow Fox - A light yellow fox is a light creamy orangish color, with a white belly. It has ruby eyes.
- Nutmeg - A nutmeg gerbil starts out with a brown-orange color over its entire body. At 8 weeks it molts and liberal black ticking appears along the back with a lesser amount on the belly. A nutmeg gerbil has black eyes.
- Pink Eyed White - A pink eyed white gerbil is completely white with light ruby eyes.
- Polar Fox - A polar fox starts out a creamy ivory color. At 8 weeks the gerbil molts and the hairs become whiter and minimal greyish ticking appears along the back. A polar fox has black eyes.
- Red Fox - A red fox is a creamy red color over it's entire body, with the color lightening somewhat through the belly area. Often has a "bib" or white line running down the chin. May also have some white on the paws. Any white on the belly is due to spotting and will be irregularly shaped in most cases. A red fox has ruby eyes.
- Schimmel - A schimmel gerbil starts out a tan/creamy orange color. At eight weeks old it molts and the body lightens towards white. The gerbil's body continues to lighten throughout its life until it has a white body. The tail, nose, feet and tips of the ears remain creamy orange. Schimmel gerbils have red eyes.
- Siamese - A siamese gerbil starts out a light milk chocolate color. At eight weeks, it molts and the tail, nose, feet and tips of the ear go black. The main body color stays the same. A siamese has black eyes. It also often has a "bib" or white line running down the chin. May also have some white on the paws. Spotted individuals are slightly lighter in color.
- Silver Nutmeg - A silver nutmeg erbil starts out a creamy ivory color. At 8 weeks the gerbil molts and the hairs become whiter and liberal greyish ticking appears along the back with a lesser amount on the belly. A silver nutmeg gerbil has black eyes.
- Slate - A slate gerbil is a dark grey color. Often has a "bib" or white line running down the chin. It may also have some white on the paws. Any white on the belly is due to spotting and will be irregularly shaped in most cases. A slate has black eyes.
- Yellow Fox - A yellow fox gerbil is a creamy orangish color with a white belly. It has ruby eyes.
