Bushy-tailed jird

Bush -tailed gerbil

The bush -tailed gerbil ( Sekeetamys calurus ) is a rodent of the subfamily gerbils and the only species of its genus.

Description

This gerbil reaches a head-body length of 10 to 12.5 cm and a tail length of 11 cm to 16 cm. The coat is yellow to reddish at the top with a black shadow. The belly and the limbs are whitish. Striking is the brown, bushy tail, which ends in a white tassel. There are also known colors with black tail center and whitish tail.

The bush -tailed gerbil is found in rocky regions and deserts in north-eastern Africa and western Asia. The distribution area stretches along the Red Sea in Egypt ( individual finds from Sudan) on the Sinai Peninsula to Israel, Jordan and the western Saudi Arabia. An isolated population lives in central Saudi Arabia. In the mountains kind reaches 600 meters above sea level.

These rodents dig their burrows under rocks or buildings. Females give birth to an average of 3 pups per litter and a maximum of 6 A copy lived under human supervision almost 5.5 years.

The IUCN lists them as not threatened (Least Concern ).