Introduction to Gerbils

Gerbils form the subfamily Gerbillinae, a massive group consisting of over eighty species. They have a variety of native land throughout most of Africa & parts of Europe, extending across Asia in to Mongolia & China. Gerbils tend to live in arid areas, having adapted, in several ways, to the shortage of water. By burrowing in the work of the hottest part of the day, they protect themselves against dehydration. Then, at night they venture forth to forage for seeds & similar foods that, in the quickly falling temperatures, gain a covering of dew. This provides the a vital source of liquid. Not surprisingly, the gerbil's digestive process is very effective at absorbing water & the kidneys can producing a very concentrated urine, ensuring that vital water loss from the body is kept to a maximum.

The fur coat color of gerbils reflects their natural surroundings. Those which live in sandy areas, for example, may have very pale fur coats. The furred tail does have a darker bushy tip, however, & this may serve to confuse predators. Like some lizards, gerbils can lose part of the tail & survive, although it won't regenerate.

The tail is an important piece of their anatomy, however, since it helps to provide balance for the body when the gerbil is standing on its hind legs or leaping. Indeed, they can jump considerable distances, relying on the powerful muscles at the top of their legs to provide the necessary impetus to clear long distances.
Gerbils have very acute hearing, in spite of their tiny ears. The bony capsule that encloses the middle ear is greatly enlarged, & serves to amplify even the smallest sound. Their sense of vision is equally well developed. The eyes are prominent & positioned so as to provide a wide field of vision & give them the ability to detect the slightest movement nearby.

Gerbils are social creatures, living in groups. For part of the day they may even seal the entrances to their burrows. This helps to keep the internal temperature slightly lower, & may cause condensation of water droplets in the burrow. A typical colony may consist of up to males & as plenty of as seven females, with some juveniles coexisting in the group. They will forage collectively, digging if necessary for roots that can serve as an emergency supply of water.

Since an established group won't tolerate newcomers, it may appear that there would be a high degree of in-breeding within each colony, but studies of captive stock have revealed a unique process that avoids this need. Reproductively active females leave their colony & mate with a male of a neighboring group, before returning to the established relatives colony to give birth & rear their offspring. Since plenty of species of gerbils live in remote & inhospitable areas of the world, however, they still have much to learn about their natural lifestyles.