They are more rat-like in appearance than many other gerbillines, but are still capable of leaping. They have strong front claws which are used to dig their burrows.
Natural history
They construct burrows that aid in food storage, temperature regulation and water retention. The burrows of some species are rather simple, but others can be quite complex. Meriones crassus adults have been reported to have burrows that have a combined length of over 30 meters and have 18 entrances (Nowak, 1999). Food is stored in chambers of the burrows. As with other arid adapted rodents, stored food has the capacity to reabsorb moisture given off by the animal during respiration. Jirds can go their entire lives without drinking, relying instead on water generated during metabolism. These rodents feed on vegetable matter, roots, seeds, fruit, and insects.
Members of the genus range from being social to rather solitary. Even in solitary species, home ranges often overlap. Females give birth to 1-12 young after a gestation period of about 20-30 days (Nowak, 1999). Sexual maturity is reached after about 9-15 weeks. Longevity in the wild is usually less than 6 months, but the record for a captive animal is over 5 years (Nowak, 1999).
