Sekeetamys calurus

Geographic Range

Sekeetamys calurus prefer arid regions such as South-East Israel, eastern Egypt, Jordan, Sinai, and in the vicinity of Riyadh in central Saudi Arabia.

• Biogeographic Regions
• palearctic palearctic
  • native native

Habitat

Arid and rocky environments make the best homes for S. calurus . To avoid heat exhaustion, bushy-tailed jirds burrow in rocky terrain under edges of rocks and boulders. Sekeetamys calurus have adapted to their rocky environments by becoming good climbers. Bushy-tailed jirds are nocturnal and very active at night.

• Habitat Regions
• temperate temperate
• terrestrial terrestrial

• Terrestrial Biomes
• desert or dune desert or dune

Physical Description

Sekeetamys calurus can be separated from their gerbil relatives by the color of their coats. The fur is a yellowish, reddish color that is flecked with black hairs. There is a distinct line when the dorsal fur meets the ventral fur. The ventral fur is crisp white. The ears are grey and sometimes have white hairs behind them. The hind feet of bushy-tailed jirds have naked soles that aid in gripping and climbing rocky surfaces. Bushy-tailed jirds are known for their bushy tails, which are brownish grey with white tips. The tails are covered with long hairs that stand out, creating a feather-like effect, thus making the tails bushy. Males have especially full and prominent tails. Young S. calurus appear to have fuller, softer fur.

Sekeetamys calurus have low metabolic rates, 47% of the expected BMR for rodents their size. A low BMR is probably an adaptation to their arid environment.

• Other Physical Features
• endothermic endothermic
• homoiothermic
• bilateral symmetry bilateral symmetry

• Sexual Dimorphism
• male more colorful
• ornamentation ornamentation

Reproduction

Mating pairs tend to stay in close contact throughout the mating season. Sekeetamys calurus are a seasonally monogamous species.

• Mating System
• monogamous monogamous

Scent markings are a crucial form of attracting mates. Male bushy-tailed jirds also use foot thumping to show females that they are interested in mating. Once a male has selected a female to mate with, he chases her. Chasing of the female commences in the early evening, and may last several hours. Mating pairs tend to stay in close contact throughout the mating season. The pair often wrestle, with the loser being pinned down and given a thorough bathing by the winner.

Sexual maturity for Sekeetamys calurus is sixty to eighty days after birth. Mating season for bushy-tailed jirds in the wild is February and March. Captive animals have the ability to mate year round. Breeding of captive animals may be difficult as it is dependent on the animals' diet; they must have a high protein and low fat diet. Gestation lasts for 21 to 24 days. Female S. calurus give birth to liters of three to five young in captivity, and two to three young in the wild. Weaning and the first signs of independence of young occur at four to five weeks.

• Key Reproductive Features
• seasonal breeding seasonal breeding
• year-round breeding year-round breeding
• gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
• sexual sexual
• viviparous viviparous

Sekeetamys calurus often form mating pairs that help care for the young. Both parents invest time in watching and gathering food for their young. In groups, the parents protect the young from being eaten by conspecifics. It is important to make sure that in captivity, new bushy-tailed jird parents have enough calcium and protein in their diet. If they do not, they will resort to cannibalism and eat their young.

• Parental Investment
• altricial altricial
• pre-fertilization
  • provisioning
  • protecting
    • female
• pre-hatching/birth
  • provisioning
    • female
  • protecting
    • female
• pre-weaning/fledging
  • provisioning
    • male
    • female
  • protecting
    • male
    • female
• pre-independence
  • provisioning
    • male
    • female
  • protecting
    • male
    • female

Lifespan/Longevity

There is a significant difference in the lifespan of captive (4.5 years) vs. wild animals (5.8 months), and between males and females. Captive animals have a greater longevity due to their lack of predators and consistent food supply. Males tend to live longer than females.

Behavior

Sekeetamys calurus prefer to live with at least one other S. calurus . In groups, especially family groups, they huddle together to sleep, bathe each other, wrestle, box and chase one another. Aggression is rarely seen in this species, but it can arise. A telltale sign of aggression is when two animals roll up into a tight ball when fighting. This behavior is a characteristic of a fight to the death. If S. calurus feel threatened they let out a loud screech and often run frantically from their aggressor. Aggressive behavior is often seen in males who have a developed hierarchy; the bushier the tail, the higher up in social status the male.

Bushy-tailed jirds are nocturnal mammals who have a high activity level from late evening to early morning. The reason for night activity is due to the fact that they inhabit an arid environment that is very hot during the day and inhibits their movement.

• Key Behaviors
• terricolous
• saltatorial saltatorial
• nocturnal nocturnal
• motile motile
• sedentary sedentary
• aestivation
• daily torpor
• social social
• dominance hierarchies dominance hierarchies

Home Range

The home range of this species depends on the sex. Males have a home range anywhere from 103,672 m^2 to 44,303 m^2, and females range from 70,563 m^2 to 8,811 m^2. The home range is also dependent on whether or not the animals are island dwelling. Island dwellers have much smaller home ranges of about 4 ha.

Communication and Perception

Bushy-tailed jirds are not highly vocal. When they are vocal, it is usually because they have been injured or feel severely threatened. Most communication is done through foot thumping. Sekeetamys calurus thump their feet loudly when they sense danger or when they become sexually excited. Another form of communication that bushy-tailed jirds use is scent marking. There are small scent glands on the ventral sides of their bodies. Sekeetamys calurus rub their bellies on everything that they consider their property, including territory and family members. Each animal has its own distinct scent that distinguishes its property from that of any other S. calurus .

• Communication Channels
• acoustic acoustic
• chemical chemical

• Other Communication Modes
• scent marks scent marks
• vibrations vibrations

• Perception Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile
• acoustic acoustic
• chemical chemical

Food Habits

Bushy-tailed jirds are omnivores. Depending on the environment, S. calurus diets may vary greatly. In the wild, bushy-tailed jirds prefer seeds, insects , herbs, and small bushes. Sekeetamys calurus cache their food, especially in the presence of potential competitors such as Acomys russatus . In captivity, members of this species will accept seeds, vegetables, fruits, and commercialized rat and gerbil food. It is recommended to keep lettuce and citrus fruits to a minimum. Sekeetamys calurus need to have a high protein diet. In captivity, lime blocks are necessary for nutrition as well as for play. Bushy-tailed jirds also prey on live food, such as mealworms.

• Primary Diet
• omnivore omnivore

• Animal Foods
• insects
• terrestrial worms

• Plant Foods
• leaves
• seeds, grains, and nuts
• fruit

• Foraging Behavior
• stores or caches food stores or caches food

Predation

The main predators are desert foxes , but they also fall victim to hyraxes . Remains of S. calurus have been found in some owl pellets. Snakes inhabiting arid regions may also prey upon bushy-tailed jirds, although no evidence was found. When S. calurus feel threatened they thump their feet to scare the predator and warn others. If that tactic does not succeed, they attempt to outrun their predator.

• Anti-predator Adaptations
• cryptic cryptic

Ecosystem Roles

Sekeetamys calurus are found in arid regions where not many other mammals dwell. However, research has been done on the competition between bushy-tailed jirds, S. calurus , and golden spiny mice . Under the right circumstances, the two species compete for nesting sites and materials, as well as food. Sekeetamys calurus are found to be dominant, perhaps as a result of their protection of their food stores and nesting materials. Predators such as hyraxes and several kinds of foxes rely on this species. Bushy-tailed jirds are omnivores, feeding on insects when they are available. They also gather and cache seeds, perhaps dispersing them.

When kept as laboratory specimens, bushy-tailed jirds are susceptible to several different strains of viruses and bacteria, as well as mites. There is no information confirming that S. calurus are affected by these health factors in the wild.

• Ecosystem Impact
• disperses seeds

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

Sekeetamys calurus are very important to the pet trade. Bushy-tailed jirds have been introduced in many countries as mild-mannered pets. Sekeetamys calurus are also often used in animal laboratories. They make good lab subjects due to their mild manner and unique ways of thermoregulating.

• Positive Impacts
• pet trade pet trade
• research and education

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

There was no evidence found on the negative economic importance for humans.

Conservation Status

No information was available on the status of S. calurus .

Other Comments

Sekeetamys calurus is the only species in its genus. Sekeetamys have several adaptations to their arid environments. Bushy-tailed jirds respond to osmotic stress from dehydration by reducing resting metabolic rate (RMR), increasing non-shivering thermogenesis (NST), and reducing their volume and increasing the concentration of urine. A high capacity NST allows desert rodents to compensate for their low RMR and allows them to be active during cold desert nights. Low RMR allows bushy-tailed jirds to conserve energy during the day when they are sheltered from the heat, and then a high NST capacity allows the animal to increase heat production within a short period of time before nightfall. The adaptive ability of nocturnal activity and diurnal rest is very important to the functioning of S. calurus .

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

Matthew Wund (editor), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

Kimberlee Carter (author), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Phil Myers (editor, instructor), Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

References

Burdette, C. 2004. "Tibesti-Jebel Uweinat montane xeric woodlands" (On-line). World Wildlife Foundation. Accessed March 30, 2004 at http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/pa/pa1331_full.html .

Ellerman, 1947. Rodentia: Sekeetamys . Israel: Mammalia of Israel.

Ellerman, J. 1997. "Bushy-Tailed Jird" (On-line). Walker's Mammals of the World Online 5.1. Accessed March 23, 2004 at http://www.press.jhu.edu/books/walkers_mammals_of_the_world/rodentia/rodentia.muridae.sekeetamys.html .

Ggrizmek, B. 1990. Jirds. Pp. 254,257 in Grizmek's Encyclopedia of Mammals , Vol. 3/4, 4 Edition. New York, New York: McGraw-Hill inc..

Haim, A., F. Rozenfeld. 1998. Spacing behaviour between two desert rodents, the golden spiny mouse Acomys russatus and the bushy-tailed gerbil Sekeetamys calurus. Journal of Arid Environments , 39/4: 593-600.

Haim, A. 1996. Food and energy intake, non-shivering thermogenesis and daily rhythm of body temperature in the bushy-tailed gerbil Sekeetamys calurus: the role of photoperiod manipulations. Journal of Thermal Biology , 21/1: 37-42.

Liska, J. 2002. "Community of Interests of Running Mice" (On-line). Accessed March 23, 2004 at http://www.ig-rennmaeuse.de/quastenschwanzrennmaus.htm .

Niv, P., A. Haim. 2003. Thermoregulatory and osmoregulatory responses to dehydration in the bushy-tailed gerbil Sekeetamys calurus. Journal of Arid Environments , 55/4: 727-736.

Shargal, E., N. Kronfeld, T. Dayan. 1998. On the population ecology of the bushy-tailed jird ( Sekeetamys calurus ) at En Gedi. Israel Journal of Zoology , 44/1: 61-63.

Shenbrot, G., B. Krasnov, I. Khokhlova. 2002. Notes on the Biology of the bushy-tailed jird, Sekeetamys calurus, in the Central Negev, Israel. Mammalia , 63/4: 374-376.

van Veen, K. 2004. "Scientific Name: Sekeetamys calurus Common Name: Bushy-tailed Jird" (On-line). Gerbil Information Page. Accessed March 16, 2004 at http://users.bart.nl/~fredveen/othersekeetuk.htm .