Mongolian gerbil They are somewhat larger than mice, with a body about long (and a tail of similar length), with a body mass averaging in females and in males. The Mongolian gerbil is classified as a "prohibited new organism" under New Zealand's Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996, preventing it from being imported into the country. The species is also prohibited in the US state of California. "Meriones unguiculatus" evolved on the semideserts and steppes of Mongolia. There, they developed long legs for jumping and running from predators, teeth to deal with hard seeds and plant matter, and water conservation techniques
Botta's gerbil was first described by the French zoologist and herpetologist Fernand Lataste in 1882, he named it "Gerbillus bottai". It is known from a small number of locations in Sudan, between the Blue Nile and the White Nile to the south of Khartoum, with some possible sightings in northern Kenya. It may form part of a species complex alongside the Khartoum gerbil ("Dipodillus stigmonyx"), Harwood's gerbil ("Dipodillus harwoodi"), and Waters's gerbil ("Gerbillus watersi") . However, "D. harwoodi" has a separate range in Kenya about to the south of the other three species and further investigation may elevate it to full species