Bush-tailed gerbil

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Bush-tailed gerbil
Bush-tailed gerbil

Bush-tailed gerbil

Systematics
Family : Long-tailed mice (Muridae)
Subfamily : Gerbils (Gerbillinae)
Tribe : Gerbillini
Sub tribus : Gerbillina
Genre : Sekeetamys
Type : Bush-tailed gerbil
Scientific name of the  genus
Sekeetamys
Ellerman , 1947
Scientific name of the  species
Sekeetamys calurus
( Thomas , 1892)

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

description

Bush-tailed gerbil as a pet.

This gerbil reaches a head-body length of 10 to 12.5 cm and a tail length of 11 to 16 cm. The fur is yellow to reddish on top with a black shadow. The abdomen and limbs are whitish. The brown, bushy tail, which ends in a white tassel, is striking. There are also color variants with a black center of the tail and a whitish tail root.

The bushtail gerbil is found in rocky regions and deserts in northeastern Africa and western Asia . The distribution area stretches along the Red Sea in Egypt (individual finds from Sudan ) over the Sinai Peninsula to Israel , Jordan and western Saudi Arabia . An isolated population lives in central Saudi Arabia. In mountains, the species 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. One specimen lived under human supervision for almost 5.5 years.

The IUCN lists them as Least Concern .

literature

  • Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 2 volumes. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Ed.): Mammal Species of the World . A taxonomic and geographic Reference . 3. Edition. 2 volumes. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 (English, Sekeetamys ).
  2. ↑ a b Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. Volume 2. 6th edition. 1999, pp. 1454-1455, Google books
  3. ↑ a b Sekeetamys calurus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2011. Posted by: Schlitter, D., Shenbrot, G., Amr, Z. & Kock, D., 2008. Accessed August 29, 2012th

Web links

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