Mongolian Gerbil

pets · rodents · desert

Pocket-sized. A Mongolian gerbil's body is only about 110 to 135 mm long, with a tail nearly as long as its body. Adults weigh between 60 and 130 grams.

Long tails help balance. Their long tails help them balance and steer as they scamper and hop around their habitat.

From wild to pet. Gerbils only became pets in the English-speaking world after 1954, when they were first brought to the United States.

Science helpers. Scientists started using gerbils in research back in the late 1800s, though that use has become much less common today.

Boys are bigger. In Mongolian gerbils, adult males are usually larger than the females.