About Rhombomys opimus (Lichtenstein, 1823)
Rhombomys opimus, commonly called the great gerbil, is the largest species of gerbil. Great gerbils have a head and body length ranging from 15 to 20 cm, which is 6 to 8 inches. Their skulls have a distinct trait: each incisor has two grooves. They have large front claws adapted for burrowing. Great gerbils live in arid habitats, most often sandy or clay deserts. Their range includes Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran. Great gerbils live in family groups, with one burrow occupied per family. Their burrows can be quite extensive, with separate chambers built for nests and food storage. Great gerbils spend much more time in their burrows during winter, but they do not hibernate. They are mainly diurnal, and their diet consists mostly of vegetable matter. They are often colonial, and their typical lifespan is 2 to 4 years. Complex great gerbil burrow systems have a distinct area of cleared soil, so these complexes can be seen and mapped from aerial photos and satellite images. Satellite imagery can also be used to tell the difference between inhabited and abandoned great gerbil burrows. Great gerbils are known reservoirs for Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes plague, and Leishmania major, the parasite that causes zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis. They are also considered crop pests, and they have been linked to worsening erosion.
