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 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 arid habitats. Most are primarily active during the day, making them diurnal (but some species, including the common household pet, exhibit crepuscular behavior), and almost all are omnivorous. Gerbils are related to mice and rats; they all belong to the family Muridae. One Mongolian species, "Meriones unguiculatus", also known as the "clawed jird", is a gentle