Gerbillinae
Gerbillinae is a subfamily of murid rodents that includes gerbils and related species. Many members are adapted to arid and semiarid habitats.
Muridae: Muridae is a large family of rodents that includes mice, rats, gerbils, and their relatives. Gerbillinae is classified within this family.
Mongolian gerbil: The Mongolian gerbil is a desert-adapted rodent, Meriones unguiculatus, widely kept as a pet and used in research. This species is the most familiar domesticated gerbilline.
Desert ecology: Desert ecology studies the relationships among organisms and the physical conditions of arid environments. It explains the environmental pressures shaping many gerbilline adaptations.
Deomyinae: Deomyinae is a subfamily of murid rodents that includes spiny mice and related African and Asian species. It is a separate murid subfamily whose members can share habitats with gerbillines.
Meriones: Meriones is a genus of gerbils native to parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia. It includes the Mongolian gerbil and several other familiar species.
Rodent: A rodent is a mammal whose continuously growing incisors are adapted for gnawing. Gerbillines belong to this mammalian order.
Animal model: An animal model is a nonhuman species used to investigate biological processes or disease. Mongolian gerbils have been used to study hearing, infection, and other biological questions.
Xerocole: A xerocole is an animal adapted to live in dry environments. Many gerbillines are xerocoles, though the group also includes species from less arid habitats.
Cricetinae: Cricetinae is a rodent subfamily that includes hamsters and several related New World and Eurasian groups. Hamsters are sometimes confused with gerbils but belong to a different subfamily.
Gerbillus: Gerbillus is a genus of small gerbils found mainly in Africa and western Asia. Its many species illustrate the group's diversity in arid regions.