The common gundi (''Ctenodactylus gundi'') is a species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...

in the family Ctenodactylidae. It is found in

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

, and

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

. The parasitic organism ''

Toxoplasma gondii ''Toxoplasma gondii'' () is an obligate intracellular parasitic protozoan (specifically an apicomplexan) that causes toxoplasmosis. Found worldwide, ''T. gondii'' is capable of infecting virtually all warm-blooded animals, but felids, such as d ...

'' was first described in 1908 in Tunis by Charles Nicolle and Louis Manceaux within the tissues of the gundi.

Description

The common gundi grows to a length of between , having a stumpy tail of . A gundi weighs about . It resembles a

guinea pig The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig (''Cavia porcellus''), also known as the cavy or domestic cavy (), is a species of rodent belonging to the genus ''Cavia'' in the family Caviidae. Breeders tend to use the word ''cavy'' to describe the ani ...

in appearance, having big eyes, flat ears and short limbs. Each foot has four digits and sharp, dark claws; the two hind feet have comblike bristles between the claws. Gundi's teeth are rootless.

Distribution

This

gundi Gundis or comb rats (family Ctenodactylidae) are a group of small, stocky rodents found in Africa. They live in rocky deserts across the northern parts of the continent. The family comprises four living genera and five species ( Speke's gundi, ...

is found in northern Africa on the south side of the

Atlas Mountains The Atlas Mountains are a mountain range in the Maghreb in North Africa. It separates the Sahara Desert from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; the name "Atlantic" is derived from the mountain range. It stretches around through Moroc ...

at altitudes up to about . Its range extends from western Libya through Tunisia and Algeria to eastern Morocco.

Ecology and biology

Gundis are diurnal and herbivorous. It lives in rocky, arid places, making its home in crevices and under boulders. These homes are usually temporary. In the early morning, gundis sunbathe until the temperature passes 20° C (68°F). Once it's hot enough, the gundis will forage and eat, then go back to sunbathing on warm rocks. They will shelter in the shade once the temperature reaches 32° C (90° F). Only after the temperature drops again, in the afternoon, do gundis leave their shelter. It forages for leaves, stems, flowers and seeds over large distances because of the scarcity of suitable plants. It does not drink, obtaining sufficient water from its diet, nor does it store food as do some desert rodents. Gundis make chirp-like sounds to communicate with each other. If alarmed, they thump their hind feet as well. A gundi reaches sexual maturity at the age of nine to twelve months. The gestation period is estimated to be 57 days and the litter size averages just under two. Gundis are born with open eyes and fur. They are able to control their body temperature from birth, and are weaned after only four weeks. The interval between litters is about 70 days. The gundi is a territorial species, with family groups of between three and eleven adults defending a territory. Gundis live in colonies, and within these colonies, gundis live in separate units. A unit can be a female, male, and their offspring, or multiple females with juveniles. Gundis sleep in piles to stay warm during the winter. Of the common gundis tested in southeastern Tunisia, nearly half were found to harbour ''

Leishmania ''Leishmania'' is a parasitic protozoan, a single-celled organism of the genus '' Leishmania'' that are responsible for the disease leishmaniasis. They are spread by sandflies of the genus ''Phlebotomus'' in the Old World, and of the genus '' ...

parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

s; ''

Leishmania tropica ''Leishmania tropica'' is a flagellate parasite and the cause of anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in humans. This parasite is restricted to Afro-Eurasia and is a common cause of infection in Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Algeria, Morocco, ...

'' was found in five individuals and ''

Leishmania major ''Leishmania major'' is a species of parasite found in the genus ''Leishmania'', and is associated with the disease zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (also known as Aleppo boil, Baghdad boil, Bay sore, Biskra button, Chiclero ulcer, Delhi boil, Ka ...

'' in one. These

protozoa Protozoa (singular: protozoan or protozoon; alternative plural: protozoans) are a group of single-celled eukaryotes, either free-living or parasitic, that feed on organic matter such as other microorganisms or organic tissues and debris. Histo ...

n parasites are causative agents of

cutaneous leishmaniasis Cutaneous leishmaniasis is the most common form of leishmaniasis affecting humans. It is a skin infection caused by a single-celled parasite that is transmitted by the bite of a phlebotomine sand fly. There are about thirty species of ''Leishm ...

, a skin disease transmitted by female

sandflies Sandfly (or sand fly) is a colloquial name for any species or genus of flying, biting, blood-sucking dipteran (fly) encountered in sandy areas. In the United States, ''sandfly'' may refer to certain horse flies that are also known as "greenhea ...

, and it is thought that the gundi may act as a natural reservoir for the pathogen.

Status

The common gundi is a fairly common species with a wide range, and no particular threats have been identified. Its abundance varies according to the amount of precipitation that falls; in the west of its range it is replaced by

Val's gundi Val's gundi (''Ctenodactylus vali'') is a species of rodent in the family Ctenodactylidae. It is known from two widely separated areas of North Africa. Description Val's gundi is very similar to the other species of gundi, especially the common ...

(''Ctenodactylus vali'') in dry years. The

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

has assessed it as being a species of "

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:gundi, common

common gundi The common gundi (''Ctenodactylus gundi'') is a species of rodent in the family Ctenodactylidae. It is found in Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia. The parasitic organism ''Toxoplasma gondii'' was first described in 1908 in Tunis by Charles N ...

Mammals of North Africa