Persian Jird
| Persian jird | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Genus: | Meriones |
| Species: | M. persicus |
| Binomial name | |
| Meriones persicus (Blanford, 1875) | |
The Persian jird (Meriones persicus) is a species of rodent in the Muridae family. It is found in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan.
The Persian jird is about 6 inches long. It has a brush-tipped tail that is slightly longer than the body. They are wild brown with white bellies.
They live in dry rocky hillsides with little plant life and semi-desert areas. The eat dry plant material and grains, and sometimes small insects.
Persian jirds usually have two litters a year. Each litter has around seven pups.
Some people keep them as a pet. They can live to be six or seven years old. They need large cages that let them climb and leap.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Molur, S.; Sozen, M. (2016). "Meriones persicus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T13166A22433231. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T13166A22433231.en. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
Further reading
[change | change source]- Barker, Julian. (1998-12) The Persian Jird. The Nibbler (Journal of the National Gerbil Society).
- Musser, G. G.; Carleton, M. D. (2005). "Superfamily Muroidea". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 894–1531. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
