gerbil

ger·bil

G0100600 (jûr′bəl)n.1. Any of various small, mouselike rodents of the genus Gerbillus and other genera of the subfamily Gerbillinae, having long hind legs and a long tail and inhabiting arid regions of Africa and Asia.2. A Mongolian jird (Meriones unguiculatus) of the subfamily Gerbillinae, commonly domesticated and kept as a pet.

[French gerbille, from New Latin Gerbillus, genus name, from diminutive of gerbō, jerboa, variant of Medieval Latin jerbōa; see jerboa.]

gerbil

(ˈdʒɜːbɪl) or

gerbille

n (Animals) any burrowing rodent of the subfamily Gerbillinae, inhabiting hot dry regions of Asia and Africa and having soft pale fur: family Cricetidae[C19: from French gerbille, from New Latin gerbillus a little jerboa]

ger•bil

(ˈdʒɜr bəl)

n. any small burrowing cricetid rodent of the subfamily Gerbilinae, with long hind legs, popular as a pet. [1840–50; < French gerbille < New Latin gerbillus, diminutive of gerbo jerboa]

Thesaurus

Noun

gerbil - small Old World burrowing desert rodent with long soft pale fur and hind legs adapted for leapinggerbillegnawer, rodent - relatively small placental mammals having a single pair of constantly growing incisor teeth specialized for gnawingGerbillinae, subfamily Gerbillinae - gerbilsjird - gerbil of northern AfricaMeriones unguiculatus, tamarisk gerbil - a gerbil that is popular as a petMeriones longifrons, sand rat - southern European gerbil

Translations

沙鼠

gerbil

→ 沙鼠zhCN

gerbil

(jûr`bĭl), small desert rodentrodent,
member of the mammalian order Rodentia, characterized by front teeth adapted for gnawing and cheek teeth adapted for chewing. The Rodentia is by far the largest mammalian order; nearly half of all mammal species are rodents.
..... Click the link for more information. found throughout the hot arid regions of Africa and Asia. Also known as sand rats, gerbils have large eyes and powerful, elongated hind limbs upon which they can spring. Gerbils are 3 to 5 in. (7.6–12.7 cm) long, excluding the long tufted tail, and are sandy, gray, brown, or reddish in color with white underparts. Most species are nocturnal, and all live in burrows. Their diet consists of seeds and grains; they also eat desert plants, from which they obtain almost all the water they need. With the exception of a few species, gerbils tend to hoard food. In recent years gerbils have become popular as house pets. They are odorless, easy to raise, and usually gentle. Females may bear as many as 15 litters in a lifetime; each litter may contain up to 10 young. Gerbils are classified in the phylum ChordataChordata
, phylum of animals having a notochord, or dorsal stiffening rod, as the chief internal skeletal support at some stage of their development. Most chordates are vertebrates (animals with backbones), but the phylum also includes some small marine invertebrate animals.
..... Click the link for more information. , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Rodentia, family Cricetidae.

gerbil

[′jər·bəl] (vertebrate zoology) The common name for about 100 species of African and Asian rodents composing the subfamily Gerbillinae.

gerbil

, gerbille any burrowing rodent of the subfamily Gerbillinae, inhabiting hot dry regions of Asia and Africa and having soft pale fur: family Cricetidae

gerbil

ger·bil

gerbil

gerbille

ger•bil

gerbil

gerbil

gerbil

gerbil

gerbil

gerbil

Synonyms for gerbil

noun small Old World burrowing desert rodent with long soft pale fur and hind legs adapted for leaping

Synonyms

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