Tarabul's gerbil facts for kids
The
Quick facts for kids Tarabul's gerbil |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Genus: | Gerbillus |
| Species: |
G. tarabuli
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| Binomial name | |
| Gerbillus tarabuli (Thomas, 1902)
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| Synonyms | |
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The Tarabul's gerbil (Gerbillus tarabuli) is a small, cute rodent. You can find it in the dry, desert-like areas of northwestern Africa.
Contents
What Does It Look Like?
The Tarabul's gerbil looks a bit like a small mouse. It has a long tail with a fluffy tuft at the end. Its fur is brownish-yellow on its back. Its belly fur is white. There is a clear line where the two colors meet.
Its ears are plain and do not have black tips. Right behind each ear, there is a small white spot. The bottoms of its feet are covered in hair. Another gerbil, the occidental gerbil, lives in the same areas. But it has black ear tips and no white spots behind its ears.
An adult Tarabul's gerbil is about 102.9 mm (4.05 in) long from its head to its body. Its tail is even longer, about 148.4 mm (5.84 in).
Where Does It Live?
Tarabul's gerbils live across a wide area of northern Africa. They are found from northern Senegal and Mauritania in the west. Their home range extends east to the Tibesti Mountains in Chad. They also live in Western Sahara, Morocco, and eastern Libya.
Scientists have recently seen them in northern Senegal. This might mean that the desert is growing bigger in that area.
What Kind of Home Does It Like?
This gerbil prefers sandy places. It lives in deserts and areas that are partly desert. It also likes coastal steppes, which are flat, grassy areas near the coast.
What Are Its Habits?
Tarabul's gerbils are active at night. This means they are nocturnal. During the day, they hide in burrows they dig in the sand. These burrows are not very deep, usually about 15 to 25 centimeters long. They plug the entrance to their burrow during the day to stay safe.
Reproduction
Tarabul's gerbils usually have their babies during the rainy season. This is from July to September. They start breeding when the cool, dry season ends in April. They stop breeding when the cool, dry season begins in November.
What Eats It?
Barn owls (Tyto alba) are known to hunt and eat Tarabul's gerbils.
How Is It Related to Other Animals?
For a while, scientists thought the Tarabul's gerbil was the same as the greater Egyptian gerbil. But they are actually different species. The Tarabul's gerbil has 40 chromosomes, while the greater Egyptian gerbil has 38. They also look a bit different.
 | Madam C. J. Walker |
 | Janet Emerson Bashen |
 | Annie Turnbo Malone |
 | Maggie L. Walker |
