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Jird
''Meriones'' is a rodent genus that includes the gerbil most commonly kept as a pet, ''Meriones unguiculatus''. The genus contains most animals referred to as jirds, but members of the genera ''Sekeetamys'', '' Brachiones'', and sometimes '' Pachyuromys'' are also known as jirds. The distribution of ''Meriones'' ranges from northern Africa to Mongolia. ''Meriones'' jirds tend to inhabit arid regions including clay desert, sandy desert, and steppe, but are also in slightly wetter regions, and are an agricultural pest. The genus was named by Illiger in 1811, deriving from the Greek word ''μηρος'' (femur). However the name is shared with Greek warrior Meriones in Homer's ''Iliad'' which has brought confusion to the meaning of the scientific names, specially for the popular pet Mongolian gerbil. Description Adult ''Meriones'' species range in size from 9 to 18 cm (head and body), with tails equal to or slightly longer than the rest of the animals. Weights vary widely by s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cheliones
The Indian desert jird or Indian desert gerbil (''Meriones hurrianae'') is a species of jird found mainly in the Thar Desert in India. Jirds are closely related to gerbils. Distribution The Indian desert jird is found in southeastern Iran and Pakistan to northwestern India. In India they can be found in Rajasthan and Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth .... Description The Indian desert jird has a grey-brown coat with yellowish-grey belly. It is approximately long and has a tail long. The distinguishing characteristics include short ears, long black claws and orange incisors. Habitat Jirds inhabit desert and barren areas preferring firm soil. They are not to be found in pure sand dunes or rocky outcrops. Habits The jirds are gregarious and their burrows ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tamarisk Jird
The tamarisk jird or tamarisk gerbil (''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. 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. The tamarisk jird is a nocturnal animal and is also a strictly solitary animal Sociality is the degree to which individuals in an animal population tend to associate in social groups (gregariousness) and form cooperative societies. Sociality is a survival response to evolutionary pressures. For example, when a mother wasp .... Males usually occupy larger home ranges compared to females, and interactions between individuals are very rare. Tamarisk jirds breed between March to October, usually producing 2 - 3 litt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Meriones (subgenus)
The tamarisk jird or tamarisk gerbil (''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. 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. The tamarisk jird is a nocturnality, 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 to October, usually producing 2 - 3 litters. Young jirds first emerge from their burrows between May to 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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sekeetamys
The bushy-tailed jird or bushy-tailed dipodil (''Sekeetamys calurus'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is the only species in the genus ''Sekeetamys''. It is found in Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan. Its natural habitat is rocky areas. Description The bushy-tailed jird is a large mouse-like rodent with a bushy tail in the subfamily Gerbillinae. It has a length of between and a tail of between . Its average weight is between . The ears are large and there are pale patches around the eyes. Dorsally, the hairs are yellowish-brown tipped with black, with the flanks being rather paler than the back. There is a sharp demarcation line between the flanks and the whitish underparts. The tail is yellowish-brown at its base, the rest being greyish-black except for the usually white tip. The tail is well furred throughout its length and held upright. This bushy tail is unique among small rodents in Egypt except for the Asian garden dormouse (''Eliomys melanu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mongolian Gerbil
The Mongolian gerbil or Mongolian jird (''Meriones unguiculatus'') is a small rodent belonging to the subfamily Gerbillinae. Their body size is typically , with a tail, and body weight , with adult males larger than females. The animal is used in science and kept as a small house pet. Their use in science dates back to the latter 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. Habitat Mongolian gerbils inhabit grassland, shrubland and desert, including semidesert and steppes in China, Mongolia, and the Russian Federation. 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 , but the average temperature for most of the year is around . In the wild, these gerbils live in patriarchal groups generall ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gerbil
The Mongolian gerbil or Mongolian jird (''Meriones unguiculatus'') is a small rodent belonging to the subfamily Gerbillinae. Their body size is typically , with a tail, and body weight , with adult males larger than females. The animal is used in science and kept as a small house pet. Their use in science dates back to the latter 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. Habitat Mongolian gerbils inhabit grassland, shrubland and desert, including semidesert and steppes in China, Mongolia, and the Russian Federation. 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 , but the average temperature for most of the year is around . In the wild, these gerbils live in patriarchal groups generally ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Meriones Unguiculatus
The Mongolian gerbil or Mongolian jird (''Meriones unguiculatus'') is a small rodent belonging to the subfamily Gerbillinae. Their body size is typically , with a tail, and body weight , with adult males larger than females. The animal is used in science and kept as a small house pet. Their use in science dates back to the latter 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. Habitat Mongolian gerbils inhabit grassland, shrubland and desert, including semidesert and steppes in China, Mongolia, and the Russian Federation. 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 , but the average temperature for most of the year is around . In the wild, these gerbils live in patriarchal groups generall ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brachiones
Przewalski's gerbil or Przewalski's jird (''Brachiones przewalskii'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is the only species in the genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ... ''Brachiones'', and is found only in China. References * * Mammals described in 1889 Gerbils Rodents of China Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by Eugen Büchner {{Gerbillinae-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed in 2009 by the International Union of Geological Sciences, the cutoff of the Pleistocene and the preceding Pliocene was regarded as being 1.806 million years Before Present (BP). Publications from earlier years may use either definition of the period. The end of the Pleistocene corresponds with the end of the last glacial period and also with the end of the Paleolithic age used in archaeology. The name is a combination of Ancient Greek grc, label=none, πλεῖστος, pleīstos, most and grc, label=none, καινός, kainós (latinized as ), 'new'. At the end of the preceding Pliocene, the previously isolated North and South American continents were joined by the Isthmus of Panama, causing Great American Interchang ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Burrow
An Eastern chipmunk at the entrance of its burrow A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to construct a space suitable for habitation or temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of shelter against predation and exposure to the elements, and can be found in nearly every biome and among various biological interactions. Many animal species are known to form burrows. These species range from small invertebrates, such as the ''Corophium arenarium'', to very large vertebrate species such as the polar bear. Burrows can be constructed into a wide variety of substrates and can range in complexity from a simple tube a few centimeters long to a complex network of interconnecting tunnels and chambers hundreds or thousands of meters in total length; an example of the latter level of complexity, a well-developed burrow, would be a rabbit warren. Vertebrate burrows A large variety of vertebrates construct or use burrows in many t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Food Storage
Food storage is a way of decreasing the variability of the food supply in the face of natural, inevitable variability. p.507 It allows food to be eaten for some time (typically weeks to months) after harvest rather than solely immediately. It is both a traditional domestic skill (mainly as root cellaring) and, in the form of food logistics, an important industrial and commercial activity. Food preservation, storage, and transport, including timely delivery to consumers, are important to food security, especially for the majority of people throughout the world who rely on others to produce their food. Significant losses of food are caused by inadequate storage conditions as well as decisions made at earlier stages of the supply chain, which predispose products to a shorter shelf life. p.645 Adequate cold storage, in particular, can be crucial to prevent quantitative and qualitative food losses. Food is stored by almost every human society and by many animals. Storing of f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Temperature Regulation
Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is very different. A thermoconforming organism, by contrast, simply adopts the surrounding temperature as its own body temperature, thus avoiding the need for internal thermoregulation. The internal thermoregulation process is one aspect of homeostasis: a state of dynamic stability in an organism's internal conditions, maintained far from thermal equilibrium with its environment (the study of such processes in zoology has been called physiological ecology). If the body is unable to maintain a normal temperature and it increases significantly above normal, a condition known as hyperthermia occurs. Humans may also experience lethal hyperthermia when the wet bulb temperature is sustained above for six hours. The opposite condition, when body temperature decreases below normal levels, is known as hypothermia. It results when the homeostatic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
