AnAge entry for Meriones unguiculatus

Classification (HAGRID: 03052)

Taxonomy
Kingdom: Animalia
    Phylum: Chordata
        Class: Mammalia (Taxon entry)
            Order: Rodentia
                Family: Muridae
                    Genus: Meriones
Species
Meriones unguiculatus
Common name
Mongolian jird
Synonyms
Gerbillus koslovi, Meriones kurauchii, Meriones kurauchii chihfengensis

Lifespan, ageing, and relevant traits

Maximum longevity
6.3 years (captivity)
Source
ref. 671
Sample size
Medium
Data quality
Acceptable
Observations

Females reproduce until they are 20 months old. Average lifespan in the wild is less than 6 months [0434]. One captive specimen lived 6.3 years [0671]. In contrast to rats, hearing loss did not appear to correlate with expression of GABA in Mongolian jirds [1191].

Life history traits (averages)

Female sexual maturity
43 days
Male sexual maturity
36 days
Gestation
25 days
Weaning
24 days
Litter size
5 (viviparous)
Litters per year
4
Inter-litter interval
46 days
Weight at birth
3 g
Weight at weaning
14.3 g
Adult weight
53.2 g
Postnatal growth rate
0.0324 days-1 (from Gompertz function)
Maximum longevity residual
70%

Metabolism

Typical body temperature
311ºK or 38.2ºC or 100.8ºF
Basal metabolic rate
0.5460 W
Body mass
64.8 g
Metabolic rate per body mass
0.008426 W/g

References

External Resources

Integrated Taxonomic Information System
ITIS 632988
Animal Diversity Web
ADW account (if available)
Encyclopaedia of Life
Search EOL
NCBI Taxonomy
Taxonomy ID 10047
Entrez
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Ageing Literature
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Internet
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