Large but lightly-built jird. Above, pale yellow-brown, though variable, indistinctly speckled black with a gloss apparent in good light along the back. Fur long and silky. Below, inside limbs and feet white. Demarcation distinct. Top of head dark, paler buff on cheeks and pale around eye with white patch above. Distinct white patch behind ears. Ears moderately-sized and sparsely coat­ed with white hairs. Tail long, yellow-brown above and white to pale below. Tuft distinct, black and covering terminal third of tail. Underside of tip white. Fore ­feet naked. Hind feet haired apart from naked patch on sole. Claws pale.

Extends fromnorthwest Africa above 20 degrees north, through the Middle East and into Central Asia (Koffler, 1972). Parts of Egypt, Libya, northern Tunisia, northern Algeria, and northern Morocco are not inhabited by the species.

Biogeographic Regions: palearctic (Native )

127 records. Latest in 2000 (Gebel Elba).

Widespread. AOO=415 .8 km². EOO=524534 km². 11 locations.

Narrow (Morocco & Niger to Afghanistan).

They are small in body size, but comparatively large compared to some other gerbils. The fur is soft and dense. It shows a pattern of counter-shading coloration, with a sandy color and black spots on the dorsal side and solid white on the ventral side (Harrison et al., 1991). The claws are ivory-white. The upper lip, inside of the limbs, and the bottoms of the feet, are white as well. The tail has a black tip (Harrison et al., 1991) and is about the length of the body (Koffler, 1972). Females have four pairs of mammae (Harrison et al., 1991).

Range mass: 29 to 110 g.

Range length: 205 to 290 mm.

Average length: 251.2 mm.

Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry

Head-body length: up to 15 cm; Tail length: up to 15 cm; Weight:29 - 60 g.

Type specimen from Ain Musa, Sinai.

• Terrestrial

They live in sandy soil in hot and dry environments (Koffler, 1972). Burrow locations are not necessarily dependent on vegetation proximity. They have been found in rocky environments as well. They live in complex burrows, sometimes with multiple exits and several chambers (Harrison et al., 1991).

Habitat Regions: tropical

Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune

Sundevall’s jird occurs in dry, sandy or gravel deserts, where it often burrows beneath sandy hummocks. It may avoid more rocky habitats, and is absent from mountain areas.

The jird is able to exploit low quality roughage and has a low energy requirement (Choshniak et al., 1987). The long period in which food stays within the lower digestive tract may add to this ability (Yahav et al., 1990). The diet shifts from mainly seeds in the summer to more green vegetation in the winter, possibly to increase water consumption (Degen et al., 1997). Change in the amount of food consumption has been linked to change in circadian rhythm, which is related to seasonal light changes (Haim et al., 1990). Jirds have also been known to eat locusts and other insects (Harrison et al., 1991). Sexual dimorphism also leads to different food intake and food selection, as the larger males tend to be less selective (Khokhlova et al., 1995). Food is stored in the burrows, and jirds normally return from foraging before eating (Koffler, 1972).

Foods eaten include: seeds, grassy vegetation, twigs and insects.

Animal Foods: insects

Plant Foods: leaves; seeds, grains, and nuts; fruit

Foraging Behavior: stores or caches food

Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore , Granivore )

Jirds probably help disperse seeds when eating and foraging, since they moves food back to the burrow (Roberts, 1997). A number of other animal species have been found inside jird burrows, including tenebrionid beetles, scorpions, riddled hillcocks, and other kinds of gerbils (Koffler, 1972). They have a similar role as Gervillus cheesmani, Jaculus blanfordi, Allactage elater, and Meriones libycus in other areas (Roberts, 1997).

Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds; creates habitat

Nocturnal activity allows individuals to avoid many day predators, and quick movements back to the burrow are used to escape (Gould et al., 1998). Coloration of the fur may also be an adaptive trait to avoid being seen by predators.

Known Predators:

• owls (Strigiformes)
• reptiles (Reptilia)

Sundevall’s jird is well adapted to its harsh environment. Able to extract water efficiently from its food, it also minimizes water loss by producing dry faeces and concentrated urine, by not sweating, and by only leaving the burrow at night. The diet consists mostly of plant material, including seeds, roots, bulbs, leaves and fruit, although insects such as locusts and crickets may also be taken. Foraging can take place at a considerable distance from the burrow, although the jird tends to return to the burrow to eat. Often excavated below tufts of vegetation, the burrow varies in complexity from a spiraled tunnel with a single entrance, to complex galleries with as many as 18 entrances, descending more than a meter below ground and attaining a combined shaft length of up to 40 meters. Food storage chambers are often built near the surface, and one or more nest chambers, containing shredded dry vegetation, are found at greater depths.

Although sometimes solitary, Sundevall’s jird often lives in small colonies, particularly where food is more abundant, and communicates with various vocalizations, as well as by thumping the hind feet. Breeding often occurs during the cooler months, but when conditions are favorable. Sundevall’s jird may breed year round, producing up to three litters a year. Litter size is around 3 to 7, the young being born naked, blind and helpless, after a gestation period ranging from 18 to 31 days. The fur develops and eyes open by about two weeks, and weaning occurs after a month, by which time the young leave the maternal nest. The female may become pregnant again immediately after giving birth, and the young jirds can themselves breed from as early as 53 days, so numbers may increase rapidly when conditions are favorable. The lifespan of Sundevall’s jird is usually around two years in the wild, but up to five years in captivity.

There have been no recent studies on this subject with only one note of lifespan (Nowak, 1991).

Range lifespan

Status: captivity: 5.58 (high) years.

Average lifespan

Status: captivity: 5.6 years.

Pairs mate during the night, for the period of about two hours with quick copulations and repetition (Koffler, 1972). The mating behavior includes tail beats by the male during mounting; and foot-stomping takes place during courtship. Between mounts, the female grooms the male (Koffler, 1972).

Individuals are able to breed at an early age, and do so throughout the year (Koffler, 1972). The estrus cycle lasts 4.5 days on average and is negatively affected by poor food intake (Khokhlova et al., 2000). Litter size varies from one to eight newborns, averaging 3.5 individuals (Hayssen, 1993). Gestation usually lasts about 21 (Hayssen, 1993) to 26 (Koffler, 1972) days, although it takes longer if the mother is nursing young. Newborns weigh 2.5g to 4.5g at birth.

Breeding season: All year

Range number of offspring: 1 to 8.

Average number of offspring: 3.5.

Range gestation period: 21 to 31 days.

Average weaning age: 1 months.

Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 53 (low) days.

Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 53 (low) days.

Key Reproductive Features: year-round breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (Internal ); viviparous

Average birth mass: 3.35 g.

Average number of offspring: 4.

Newborns do not have hair. Hair growth begins after six to nine days, with a full coat complete after two weeks (Koffler, 1972). Weaning is complete after one month and sexual maturity can occur within two months after birth.

The female alone cares for the young until weaning (about one month) (Koffler, 1972).

Parental Investment: altricial ; female parental care

US Migratory Bird Act: no special status

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

Native, resident.

Least Concern.

Uncommon.

They are sometimes seen as pests because they cause damage to agriculture, irrigation structures, and may even spread disease (Nowak, 1991). The pet trade may also lead to feral populations.

Negative Impacts: crop pest; causes or carries domestic animal disease

They are used as pets and in medical research.

Positive Impacts: pet trade ; research and education