Tuesday 21 May
In the News: First crane egg in the western UK in four centuries
Pale gerbil (Gerbillus perpallidus)
Pale gerbil fact file
- Description
- Biology
- Range
- Habitat
- Status
- Threats
- Conservation
- Find out more
- Glossary
- References
- Print factsheet
Pale gerbil description
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Rodentia |
| Family | Muridae |
| Genus | Gerbillus (1) |
The name ‘gerbil’ derives from an Arabic word that alludes to the well-muscled hind legs that are characteristic of this group (3). The pale gerbil has pale orange fur, with white underparts, white forelimbs and white feet. The ears are unpigmented and the soles of the feet are haired, which is characteristic of sand-dwelling gerbils (2).
More »
Top
Related species
Pale gerbil biology
Like most species of gerbil, the pale gerbil is nocturnal, a behaviour that enables it to not only avoid the heat of the day, but also to feed at night when its preferred foods may be covered in dew, thus increasing its water intake (2) (5). Maximising water intake is vitally important for species living in arid habitats, as is minimising water loss, which the pale gerbil does by producing extremely concentrated urine and dry faeces (2). Like most other species of gerbilit is likely that the diet of the pale gerbil consists of grasses, shoots and seeds (2).
Breeding in this species has been recorded taking place around April and May (5). Gestation usually lasts around 20 days, with an average litter size of five pups (6) (7). In captivity this species has been recorded to live as long as five and a half years (7).
TopPale gerbil range
The pale gerbil is endemic to Egypt (2). Its range extends along the north coast (2), from the edge of the Qatara Depression (a desert basin in north-western Egypt) eastwards to the Nile river (1) (4). Although this species has a fairly restricted distribution, it is thought to be common within its range (1).
More »
Top
Species with a similar range
Pale gerbil habitat
This gerbil typically lives in sandy areas, from coastal dunes to sandy margins (1) (2), where it creates burrows in the sand (2).
More »
Top
Species found in a similar habitat
Pale gerbil status
Classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List (1).
Pale gerbil threats
Despite having a relatively restricted range, the pale gerbil is thought to have a large population, and is not currently believed to be facing any major threats (1).
TopPale gerbil conservation
There are no specific conservation measures known to be in place for the pale gerbil, and it is unknown whether it occurs in any protected areas (1).
TopAuthentication
Checked (24/08/10) by Dr Francis Gilbert, Associate Professor, University of Nottingham.
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~plzfg/
 | This species information was authored as part of the ARKive and Universities Scheme. |
Glossary
- Endemic
- A species or taxonomic group that is only found in one particular country or geographic area.
- Gestation
- The state of being pregnant; the period from conception to birth.
- Nocturnal
- Active at night.
References
-
IUCN Red List (April, 2010)
http://www.iucnredlist.org - Hoath, R. (2009) A Field Guide to the Mammals of Egypt. The American University in Cairo Press, Cairo.
- Kingdon, J. (1974) East African Mammals: An Atlas of Evolution in Africa. Volume 2: Hares and Rodents. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
- Wilson, D.E. and Reeder, D.M. (2005) Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Third Edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Baltimore, Maryland.
- Mares, M.A. (1999) Encyclopedia of Deserts. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman.
-
Gerbil Information Page (April, 2010)
http://www.gerbil.info/html/otherpallid.htm -
AnAge (April, 2010)
http://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Gerbillus_perpallidus
More »Related species
Sign up to our newsletter
Get the latest wild news direct to your inbox.
Get involved
ARKive relies on its media donors to donate photos and videos. Can you help? There are plenty of other ways you can get involved too!
X
Close
Close
Image credit
Pale gerbil standing on hind legs
© Michael Leach & Meriel Lland / www.photoshot.com
NHPA/Photoshot Holdings Ltd
29-31 Saffron Hill
London
EC1N 8SW
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7421 6003
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7421 6006
sales@photoshot.com
http://www.photoshot.com
X
Close
Close
Link to this photo
Embed this ARKive thumbnail link by copying and pasting the code below.
Terms of Use - The displayed thumbnail may be used as a link from your website to ARKive's online content for private, scientific, conservation or educational purposes only. It may NOT be used within Apps.
Read more about
X
Close
Close
MyARKive
MyARKive offers the scrapbook feature to signed-up members, allowing you to organize your favourite ARKive images and videos and share them with friends.
X
Close
Close
Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials
Copyright in this website and materials contained on this website (Material) belongs to Wildscreen or its licensors.
Visitors to this website (End Users) are entitled to:
- view the contents of, and Material on, the website;
- download and retain copies of the Material on their personal systems in digital form in low resolution for their own personal use;
- teachers, lecturers and students may incorporate the Material in their educational material (including, but not limited to, their lesson plans, presentations, worksheets and projects) in hard copy and digital format for use within a registered educational establishment, provided that the integrity of the Material is maintained and that copyright ownership and authorship is appropriately acknowledged by the End User.
End Users shall not copy or otherwise extract, alter or manipulate Material other than as permitted in these Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials.
Additional use of flagged material
Green flagged material 
Certain Material on this website (Licence 4 Material) displays a green flag next to the Material and is available for not-for-profit conservation or educational use. This material may be used by End Users, who are individuals or organisations that are in our opinion not-for-profit, for their not-for-profit conservation or not-for-profit educational purposes. Low resolution, watermarked images may be copied from this website by such End Users for such purposes. If you require high resolution or non-watermarked versions of the Material, please contact Wildscreen with details of your proposed use.
Creative commons material
Certain Material on this website has been licensed to Wildscreen under a Creative Commons Licence. These images are clearly marked with the Creative Commons buttons and may be used by End Users only in the way allowed by the specific Creative Commons Licence under which they have been submitted. Please see http://creativecommons.org for details.
Any other use
Please contact the copyright owners directly (copyright and contact details are shown for each media item) to negotiate terms and conditions for any use of Material other than those expressly permitted above. Please note that many of the contributors to ARKive are commercial operators and may request a fee for such use.
Save as permitted above, no person or organisation is permitted to incorporate any copyright material from this website into any other work or publication in any format (this includes but is not limited to: websites, Apps, CDs, DVDs, intranets, extranets, signage, digital communications or on printed materials for external or other distribution). Use of the Material for promotional, administrative or for-profit purposes is not permitted.