9781422280881

They gnaw to get their food and to make their homes. Rodents have four big front teeth, the incisors , evolved for gnawing. These sharp chisel-shaped teeth meet together like pincers and are very effective. They grow continually throughout the animal’s life. Gerbils belong to a family of rodents called the Myomorpha, which also includes mice, rats, hamsters, lemmings, and voles. The gerbil commonly kept as a pet is a species with the scientific name Meriones unguiculatus but is most often known as the Mongolian Gerbil or the Clawed Jird. All gerbils are adapted to live in a very dry environment where they have evolved to conserve moisture, and to cope with extremes of heat and cold. With a few exceptions, gerbils are social animals that live in burrows or groups of burrows. They get most of the moisture they need from their food, and although their diet consists mainly of vegetables, they are truly omnivorous , eating anything they can find to sustain themselves, including insects.

Opposite: A Golden Agouti explores his surroundings.

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Gerbils