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Libyan jird
Order : Rodentia
Suborder : Sciurognathi
Family : Muridae
Subfamily : Gerbillinae
Species : Meriones libycus
The Libyan jird is listed as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category, on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Countries
Afghanistan, Algeria, China, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Western SaharaHabitats
Artificial / Terrestrial, Desert, Hot Desert, Rural Gardens, Seasonal / Intermittent Saline, Brackish or Alkaline Lakes and Flats, Shrubland, Subtropical / Tropical Dry Shrubland and Wetlands (inland)
Facts about the Libyan jird
Libyan jird Meriones libycus, also known as the Libyan Jird, is very similar in size and shape to many other types of jirds.
The Libyan Jird is about the same size as the Mongolian Gerbil, an average body length of 14.
The Libyan jird is common all over the Syrian Desert; sharing its habitat with other related species.
The Meriones libycus (Libyan jird) is the main carrier of the plague stam in the plain-foothill hearth, Meriones vinogradovi (Vinogradov's vole - in the Araz Valley, Microtus arvalis (Common vole) - in the high-mountain regions. (Full text)
Libyan jird is numerous in foothills of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus and in the Kura-Araz Plain. (Full text)
As has been mentioned earlier, Shaw's jirds and Libyan jirds are quite similar in size, behaviour, and appearance. (Full text)
1. Meriones, genus Meriones -- (a genus of Cricetidae)Meriones
genus Meriones
(Source WordNet)