Mongolian gerbil Mongolian gerbil Meriones unguiculatus, the Mongolian gerbil or Mongolian jird, is a small rodent belonging to the subfamily Gerbillinae. It is the most widely known species of the gerbil subfamily, and is the most commonly kept as a small house pet or experimental animal. Under those conditions, it is known as the domesticated gerbil. Like the Syrian or golden hamster, it was first brought to the United States in 1954 by Dr. Victor Schwentker for use in scientific research. Forty-four pairs were caught in Mongolia and brought to England. They were described as having "squirrel colors... with long furry tails."
Balochistan gerbil Balochistan gerbil The Balochistan gerbil or dwarf gerbil ("Gerbillus nanus"), is distributed mainly from Morocco across north Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East and western Asia. This is a common species with a wide distribution which faces no obvious threats, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern". The Balochistan gerbil is a medium-sized, slender species that somewhat resembles Wagner's gerbil ("Dipodillus dasyurus"). Its head-and-body length is between and its tail is between . The upper parts are yellowish-brown, tinged with grey; this is because the individual hairs have