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Large North African gerbil - GERBILLUS CAMPESTRIS
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Gerbil": "Gerbil" comes from the French word "gerbille" which is a diminutive of "jerboa."
Location: Northern Africa.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Grasslands and semidesert areas.
Description: The body is long and light, and the soles of the hind feet are covered with fur. The entire body is light or dark brown, depending on the environment, but the tip of the tail is often darker. The eyes and ears are large in proportion to the body. Length of the gerbil is up to ten inches, with the tail slightly less than half of that length. It weighs about one ounce.
Behavior: This gerbil lives in a simple burrow which it digs itself and which has a single entrance. Several individuals may build their nests so close to one another that a colony is formed. It is active at night, but when the weather becomes too harsh, it prefers to stay in its burrow. It feeds on seeds, roots, and grass. Its main enemies are snakes, which find the gerbil easy prey when attacked inside the burrow.
Reproduction: Gestation lasts 20 days and the female usually gives birth to four young.
Note: All 82 different species of gerbils dwell in dry regions.
Go to the Rodents Page to learn more about all the gnawing animals.
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