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
Gerbil spotting has been reported in not only the Mongolian gerbil, but also the pallid gerbil and possibly Sundervall's Jird. A long-haired mutation, a grey agouti or chinchilla mutation, white spotting, and possibly a dilute mutation have also appeared in Shaw's jirds, and white spotting and a dilute mutation have shown up in bushy-tailed jirds. SUBFAMILY GERBILLINAE Gerbil A gerbil is a small mammal of the subfamily Gerbillinae in the order Rodentia. Once known 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