Indian desert jird much shorter ears. In addition, the Indian desert jird is diurnal, in comparison to the three common gerbil species found in India which are nocturnal. Indian desert jird The Indian desert jird or Indian desert gerbil ("Meriones hurrianae") is a species of jird found mainly in the Thar Desert in India. Jirds are closely related to gerbils. The Indian desert jird is found in southeastern Iran and Pakistan to northwestern India. In India they can be found in Rajasthan and Gujarat. The Indian desert jird has a grey-brown coat with yellowish-grey belly. It is approximately long and has a tail
Thar Desert or man-made (johads), are often the only source of water for animals and humans in the true desert areas. The lack of a constant water supply causes much of the local population to live as nomads. Most human settlements are found near the two seasonal streams of the Karon-Jhar hills. Potable groundwater is also rare in the Thar desert. Supplies are often sour due to dissolved minerals, and are only available deep underground. Wells that successfully bear sweet water attract nearby settlement, but are difficult to dig, possibly claiming the lives of the well-diggers. According to 1980 housing census in