Stats

Lifespan

2-4 yrs

Size

Small

Diet

Omnivore

Activity

Crepuscular

Social

Colony

Biome

Temperate grassland

Range

East Asia

Movement

Burrowing

Breeding

Live Birth

Defense

Burrowing

Status

Rare

About

Native to the arid steppes of Mongolia and northern China, Mongolian gerbils live in tightly bonded family colonies and drum their hind feet rapidly to alert the group to danger. Unusually among rodents, they form lifelong monogamous pair bonds and both parents actively raise their young.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   newborn pup

   A blind, hairless pup nurses in the nest and is unable to regulate its own warmth.
2. 2.
   juvenile

   A weaned juvenile is fully furred, leaves the nest, and begins foraging on solid food.
3. 3.
   adult

   Fully grown and self-sufficient.

Learn more

• Read on Wikipedia →
• View on iNaturalist →
• Watch on YouTube →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Rodentia

Family

Muridae

Genus

Meriones

Species

Meriones unguiculatus