The tamarisk jird or tamarisk gerbil[1] (Meriones tamariscinus) is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. It prefers habitats with grass or shrub cover.[1]
| Tamarisk jird | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Genus: | Meriones |
| Species: | M. tamariscinus
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| Binomial name | |
| Meriones tamariscinus | |
| Synonyms | |
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Mus tamariscinus Pallas, 1773 | |
Tamarisk jirds are relatively large in size (an adult can weigh 100–140 g). They are poorly adapted for digestion of cellulose and mainly feed on plant sources such as young leaves, and require large amounts of water.[2]
The tamarisk jird is a nocturnal animal and is also a strictly solitary animal. Males usually occupy larger home ranges compared to females, and interactions between individuals are very rare. Tamarisk jirds breed between March and October, usually producing 2–3 litters. Young jirds first emerge from their burrows between May and June, and they quickly disperse, rarely interacting with their siblings and mother. Tamarisk jirds reach sexual maturity at 70 days, but young males do not mate in their first year of age. For young females, less than half have been observed to breed in their first year of age, and this delay has been proposed to be associated with their delay in migration from their birth site.[3]
References
edit- Musser, G. G.; Carleton, M. D. (2005). "Superfamily Muroidea". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 1238. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- ^ a b c d Tsytsulina, K.; Formozov, N. & Sheftel, B. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Meriones tamariscinus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T13169A115110536. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T13169A22432783.en.
- ^ Kuznetsova, T. A.; Kostina, N. V.; Naumova, E. I.; Umarov, M. M. (2010). "Microbial nitrogen fixation in the gastro-intestinal tract of Kalmykia gerbils (M. tamariscinus and Meriones meridianus)". Biology Bulletin. 37 (5): 476–479. doi:10.1134/S1062359010050067. S2CID 21271958.
- ^ Tchabovsky, A.; Bazykin, G. (2004). "Females delay dispersal and breeding in a solitary gerbil, Meriones tamariscinus". Journal of Mammalogy. 85 (1): 105–112. doi:10.1644/1545-1542(2004)085<0105:FDDABI>2.0.CO;2.
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