A gerbil is a small mammal of the order Rodentia.

Once known simply as "desert rats," the gerbil subfamily includes about 110 species of African, Indian, and Asian rodents, including sand rats and jirds, all of which are adapted to arid habitats. Therefore, most are primarily nocturnal, and almost all are omnivorous.

One Mongolian species, Meriones unguiculatus, also known as the Clawed Jird, is a gentle and hardy animal that has become a popular pet. It was first brought to the United States in 1954 by Dr. Victor Schwentker for use in research.

Gerbils are typically between six and twelve inches (150 to 300 mm) long, and their tail makes up approximately one half of their total length. One species, however, the Great Gerbil, or Rhombomys opimus, originally native to Turkmenistan, can grow to more than 16 inches (400 mm) in length. As of August 19, 2003, officials in western China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region began releasing eagles to combat the damage they say the great gerbils have done to eleven million acres (46,000 kmē) of grassland.[1] (http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/east/08/19/china.gerbils.reut/)

Subfamily Gerbillinae

The subfamily Gerbillinae is in the family Muridae along with the mice, rats, and their relatives. This family belongs to the superfamily Muroidea, which also includes hamsters and voles. Subfamily Gerbilinae consists of the following 14 genera, 9 subgenera and 110 species:

• Tribe Gerbillini
  • Subtribe Gerbillina
    • Genus Gerbillus (Typical gerbils; Northern pygmy gerbils)
      • subgenus Handecapleura
        • Gerbillus campestris
        • Gerbillus lowei
        • Gerbillus somalicus
        • Gerbillus stigmonyx
        • Gerbillus dasyurus
        • Gerbillus vivax
        • Gerbillus mackilligini
        • Gerbillus jamesi
        • Gerbillus maghrebi
        • Gerbillus stigomonyx
        • Gerbillus amoenus
        • Gerbillus poecillops
        • Gerbillus famulus
        • Gerbillus nanus
        • Gerbillus brockmani
        • Gerbillus garamantis
        • Gerbillus grobbeni
        • Gerbillus principulus
        • Gerbillus quadrimaculatus
        • Gerbillus watersi
        • Gerbillus juliani
        • Gerbillus mesopotamiae
        • Gerbillus henleyi
        • Gerbillus syrticus
        • Gerbillus pusillus
        • Gerbillus percivali
        • Gerbillus diminutus
        • Gerbillus ruberrimus
        • Gerbillus bottai
        • Gerbillus harwoodi
        • Gerbillus muriculus
        • Gerbillus mauritaniae (sometimes considered a separate genus Monodia)
      • Subgenus Dipodillus
        • Gerbillus simoni
        • Gerbillus zakariai
      • Subgenus Gerbillus
        • Gerbillus gerbillus
        • Gerbillus cheesmani
        • Gerbillus cosensi
        • Gerbillus aquilus
        • Gerbillus gleadowi
        • Gerbillus andersoni
        • Gerbillus bonhotei
        • Gerbillus pyramidum
        • Gerbillus acticola
        • Gerbillus burtoni
        • Gerbillus dongolanus
        • Gerbillus floweri
        • Gerbillus riggenbachi
        • Gerbillus tarabuli
        • Gerbillus allenbyi
        • Gerbillus hesperinus
        • Gerbillus pulvinatus
        • Gerbillus bilensis
        • Gerbillus perpallidus
        • Gerbillus riggenbachi
        • Gerbillus latastei
        • Gerbillus dunni
        • Gerbillus hoogstraali
        • Gerbillus occiduus
        • Gerbillus rosalinda
        • Gerbillus agag
        • Gerbillus dalloni
        • Gerbillus nigeriae
        • Gerbillus nancillus
    • Genus Microdillus (listed as a subgenus of Gerbillus until 1977)
      • Microdillus peeli
  • Subtribe Merionina
    • Genus Meriones (jirds)
      • Subgenus Parameriones
        • Meriones persicus
        • Meriones rex
      • Subgenus Cheliones
        • Meriones hurrianae
      • Subgenus Meriones
        • Meriones vinogradovi
        • Meriones tamariscinus
        • Meriones tristrami
      • Subgenus Pallasiomys
        • Meriones unguiculatus
        • Meriones meridianus
        • Meriones dahli
        • Meriones chengi
        • Meriones shawi
        • Meriones libycus
        • Meriones arimalius
        • Meriones caudatus
        • Meriones crassus
        • Meriones sacramenti
        • Meriones zarudnyi
    • Genus Rhombomys (Great Gerbil)
      • Rhombomys opimus
    • Genus Psammomys (Sand rats)
      • Psammomys obesus
      • Psammomys vexillaris
    • Genus Sekeetamys (Bushy-tailed jird; listed as a subgenus of Meriones until 1956)
      • Sekeetamys calurus
    • Genus Brachiones (Przewalski's gerbil)
      • Brachiones przewalski (discovered by Nikolay Mikhaylovich Przhevalsky)
  • Subtribe Desmodilliscina
    • Genus Desmodilliscus
      • Desmodilliscus braueri
  • Subtribe Pachyuromyina
    • Genus Pachyuromys (Fat-tailed gerbil)
      • Pachyuromys duprasi
• Tribe Taterillini
  • Subtribe Taterillina
    • Genus Tatera (Large naked-soled gerbils)
      • Subgenus Gerbilliscus
        • Tatera boehmi
      • Subgenus Taterona
        • Tatera leucogaster
        • Tatera nigricauda
        • Tatera robusta
        • Tatera guineae
        • Tatera phillipsi
        • Tatera afra
        • Tatera valida
        • Tatera kempi
        • Tatera gambiana
        • Tatera brantsii
        • Tatera inclusa
        • Tatera pringlei
      • Subgenus Tatera
        • Tatera indica
    • Genus Taterillus (Small naked-soled gerbils)
      • Taterillus gracilis
      • Taterillus petteri
      • Taterillus pygargus
      • Taterillus arenarius
      • Taterillus lacustris
      • Taterillus congicus
      • Taterillus harringtoni
      • Taterillus emini
  • Subtribe Gerbillurina
    • Genus Desmodillus (Short-eared gerbil)
      • Desmodillus auricularis
    • Genus Gerbillurus (Southern pygmy gerbils)
      • Gerbillurus paeba
      • Gerbillurus tytonis
      • Gerbillurus vallinus
      • Gerbillurus setzeri
• Tribe Ammodillini
  • Genus Ammodillus (Walo)
    • Ammodillus imbellis

References

• McKenna, M. C. and S. K. Bell. 1997. Classification of Mammals above the Species Level. Columbia University Press, New York.
• Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 1993. Family Muridae. Pp. 501-755 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C.
• Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World, Vol. 2. Johns Hopkins University Press, London.
• Pavlinov, I. Ya., Yu. A. Dubrovskiy, O. L. Rossolimo, E. G. Potapova. 1990. Gerbils of the world. Nauka, Moscow.

External links

• The National Gerbil Society (U.K.) (http://www.gerbils.co.uk/)
• The American Gerbil Society (http://www.agsgerbils.org/)
• Molecular analysis of gerbil coat colour genes (http://toffelholm.dyndns.org/Molecular_analysis_of_gerbil_coat_colour_genes)

Gerbil (chess) also refers to a chess engine.