Tamarisk jird

{{Short description|Species of mammals belonging to the gerbil subfamily of rodents}} {{Speciesbox | image = Meriones tamariscinus.jpg | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{Cite iucn | author = Tsytsulina, K. | author2 = Formozov, N. | author3 = Sheftel, B. | name-list-style = amp | title = ''Meriones tamariscinus'' | year = 2016 | errata = 2017 | article-number = e.T13169A115110536 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T13169A22432783.en }}</ref> | genus = Meriones | species = tamariscinus | authority = (Pallas, 1773)<ref name=iucn /> | synonyms = ''Mus tamariscinus'' <small>Pallas, 1773</small> }}

The '''tamarisk jird''' or '''tamarisk gerbil'''<ref name=iucn/> ('''''Meriones tamariscinus''''') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. It prefers habitats with grass or shrub cover.<ref name="iucn" />

Tamarisk jirds are relatively large in size (an adult can weigh 100–140 g). They are poorly adapted for digestion of cellulose and mainly feed on plant sources such as young leaves, and require large amounts of water.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal | last1=Kuznetsova|first1=T. A.|last2=Kostina|first2=N. V.|last3=Naumova|first3=E. I.|last4=Umarov|first4=M. M.|date=2010|title=Microbial nitrogen fixation in the gastro-intestinal tract of Kalmykia gerbils (''M. tamariscinus'' and ''Meriones meridianus'')|journal=Biology Bulletin|volume=37|issue=5|pages=476–479|doi=10.1134/S1062359010050067|bibcode=2010BioBu..37..476K |s2cid=21271958}}</ref>

The tamarisk jird is a nocturnal animal and is also a strictly solitary animal. Males usually occupy larger home ranges compared to females, and interactions between individuals are very rare. Tamarisk jirds breed between March and October, usually producing 2–3 litters. Young jirds first emerge from their burrows between May and June, and they quickly disperse, rarely interacting with their siblings and mother. Tamarisk jirds reach sexual maturity at 70 days, but young males do not mate in their first year of age. For young females, less than half have been observed to breed in their first year of age, and this delay has been proposed to be associated with their delay in migration from their birth site.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal | last1=Tchabovsky|first1=A.|last2=Bazykin|first2=G.|date=2004|title=Females delay dispersal and breeding in a solitary gerbil, ''Meriones tamariscinus''|journal=Journal of Mammalogy|volume=85|issue=1|pages=105–112|doi=10.1644/1545-1542(2004)085<0105:FDDABI>2.0.CO;2|doi-access=free}}</ref>

==References== *{{MSW3 Muroidea | id = 13001153 | page = 1238}} {{Reflist}}

Category:Mammals described in 1773 Category:Meriones (rodent) Category:Mammals of Central Asia Category:Mammals of Mongolia Category:Mammals of Russia Category:Rodents of China Category:Taxa named by Peter Simon Pallas Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot