| Pleasant gerbil Temporal range: Pliocene - Recent | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Genus: | Gerbillus |
| Species: | G. amoenus |
| Binomial name | |
| Gerbillus amoenus (de Winton, 1902) | |
| Synonyms | |
| Gerbillus vivax (partim) | |
The pleasant gerbil (Gerbillus amoenus) is a species of rodent found mainly in Libya and Egypt, and possibly Mauritania to Tunisia. This species is about 6 cm in body length, with a brown agouti-style coat, a white belly and a very long tail. It is also known as the charming dipodil.
Pleasant gerbils as pets
Although rare, they are being kept and bred in captivity in Europe. Their speed and small size makes them more difficult to tame than some other gerbils species. Enthusiasts also call them dips and dippys.
References
- ^ Granjon, L. (2016). "Gerbillus amoenus". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2016: e.T9104A22465368. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T9104A22465368.en. Retrieved 13 December 2017.