The hairy-footed gerbil (''Gerbillurus paeba'') 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 ...

found in

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, and

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are dry

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

, temperate

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...

, hot

desert A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...

s, sandy shores, and

urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...

s. All members of this genus have hair on the soles of their feet, hence the name. They prefer sandy soil or sandy

alluvium Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...

with grass, scrub or light woodland cover.

Description

The hairy-footed gerbil weighs around 27 g, smaller than other ''

Gerbillurus ''Gerbillurus'' is a genus of rodent in the family Muridae. It contains the following species: * Hairy-footed gerbil The hairy-footed gerbil (''Gerbillurus paeba'') is a species of rodent found in Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Afr ...

'' species. They have a head-and-body length of around 9 cm, and a tail length of 11 cm. Distinctive to this genus are the soles of the feet, which have hair tufts on them, and hairs on each toe. The coloring of the paeba is similar to other ''

'' members. However, coloring varies with precise locality and population. The upper parts of the body are reddish-orange to a greyish-red, whereas other ''

'' members may be a bit darker. The underparts are always white and the tail is the same color as the upper body parts.

Habitat

The hairy-footed gerbil (''Gerbillurus paeba'') is a species of

found in

southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number of ...

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

, and

. Its natural

s are dry

, temperate

, hot

s, sandy shores, and

s. It is a

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

species that lives in burrows with several entrances. It is also

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...

, the entrances to its burrow hidden at the base of bushes and in clumps of grass. ''Gerbillus paebus'' feeds on the grass and bushes surrounding them, and they gnaw on the fallen and dried seed pods of thorn trees, and the seeds of the raisin bush. They also feed on insects.

Behaviour

The hairy-footed gerbil engages in social grooming, where one gerbil lies down and another stands over it and grooms. Other normal grooming habits include scratching, face washing, licking and tail cleaning, and sand bathing.

History

''Gerbillurus paeba''’s name come from the French name for a small mouse, gerbille. The specific name, paeba comes from the local language Twsana name for mouse.

References

* *Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. pp. 894–1531 ''in'' Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. Gerbillurus Rodents of Africa Mammals described in 1836 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Gerbillinae-stub