Fun Bushy-tailed Jird Facts For Kids

The bushy-tailed jird (Sekeetamys calurus) is a single species of rodent often found in central Saudi Arabia, Eastern Egypt, southern Israel, Sudan, Jordan, parts of northern Africa, Russia, and the Dead Sea basin. They are the only species in their genus.

The bushy-tailed jird natural habitat includes arid, mountainous, or rocky locations. They are omnivores and can feed on both seeds, herbs, shrubs, as well as insects or mealworms.

They have adapted to their environment and reduce dehydration by resting metabolic rate or spiking urine concentration. This rodent is not diurnal and usually tends to be nocturnal as daytime is too hot for the bushy-tailed jird.

Bush-tailed jirds live in groups with social rank based on the hair on their tail. The lifespan of this species is six to 30 months in the wild and one to four years in captivity.

The breeding season usually lasts from February to March, and a typical brood consists of one to five young ones. They are not very vocal and communicate by hitting their foot on the ground. By using this technique, they can avoid suspicions of any lurking predators.

They are a playful, friendly and social animal that rarely bites, unless scared. If you liked this animal, check out pygmy slow loris facts and gopher facts.

Bushy-Tailed Jird Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a bushy-tailed jird?

Bushy-tailed jirds, or Sekeetamys calurus, are the single species of rodent found in the Gulf regions like southern Israel, Jordan, eastern Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.

What class of animal does a bushy-tailed jird belong to?

Bushy-tailed jirds belong to the class Mammalia, from the Sekeetamys genus of the Muridae family. The scientific name of this species is Sekeetamys calurus.

How many bushy-tailed jirds are there in the world?

There are no studies that estimate the population of this species. These animals are said to be uncommon but have a stable population. They are mostly only found in their native areas, and their population tends to be sparse.

Where does a bushy-tailed jird live?

The bushy-tailed jird is known to live in the rocky areas or woods of southern Israel, eastern Egypt, central Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Sinai, and Ein Gedi. They can also be found in parts of northern Africa, southern Russia, and the Dead Sea basin.

These animals prefer an arid environment and have a body adapted or developed to handle activities like climbing and silent communication.

What is a bushy-tailed jird's habitat?

The bushy-tailed jird's natural habitat is in arid and rocky locations. This species lives in burrows under rocks or boulders to escape the heat and has adapted to their habitat by being excellent climbers. They are nocturnal and tend to be active during the night, as daytime can be too hot for comfort.

Who do bushy-tailed jirds live with?

Bushy-tailed jirds are rarely seen alone and tend to live with at least one partner. They can also live in small packs or families. This species can also form groups with social ranks, and the pair with the bushiest tail usually stands on the top.

How long does a bushy-tailed jird live?

The lifespan of a bushy-tailed jird can range from six to 30 months in the wild. In captivity, they can live for one to four years.

How do they reproduce?

The breeding season of the bushy-tailed jird can range from February to March. Males are known to use scent markings to attract females and begin chasing a female they have selected.

This chasing can continue for hours, and a monogamous reproductive pair is made. The jird pair stay together throughout the mating.

The gestation period of these mammals can range from 21-24 days, and the female can give birth to three to five young ones. The Sekeetamys calurus babies gain reproductive maturity 60 to 80 days after they are born.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of bushy-tailed jird, or Sekeetamys calurus, is of Least Concern. Although spotting this species is a little uncommon, their natural population is relatively stable and has no threats.

Bushy-Tailed Jird Fun Facts

What do bushy-tailed jirds look like?

The bushy-tailed jird has a yellow-red coat and sparse black hair throughout the body. They have round gray ears with occasional white hair behind them and a distinct line where the back hair meets the front hair.

They have feet with bare soles, adapted to climbing or gripping rocky mountains. As the name suggests, their brown-gray tails are bushy and have white tips. The social status and power of the male and female species are decided by how bushy the tail is.

How cute are they?

The bushy-tailed jird is a small and adorable rodent with an interesting yellow fur coat. They have a bushy tail, which they can be very proud of, and are usually very intelligent.

They are energetic, playful, and adorable to observe. As a species living in the wild, they have a lot of energy and have adapted well to their environment. This makes them very cute and hardworking animals!

How do they communicate?

The bushy-tailed jird is mostly a quiet species as they have to be careful of predators. They tend to communicate using body language like foot thumping.

When they sense danger, they can loudly thump their feet on the ground. They can also use scent markings to identify and mark their territory as well as family members. Each Sekeetamys calurus jird will have its own unique scent, which makes differentiation easy.

How big is a bushy-tailed jird?

The average length of a bushy-tailed jird can range from 3.86-5.04 in (9.8-12.8 cm) and can be one and a half times bigger than wood mice.

How fast can a bushy-tailed jird move?

There are no studies estimating the average speed of a bushy-tailed jird.

How much does a bushy-tailed jird weigh?

The typical body mass of a bushy-tailed jird can range from 1.59-3.17 oz (45-90 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no sex-specific names for the male and female species.

What would you call a baby bushy-tailed jird?

Baby bushy-tailed jirds are usually called pups.

What do they eat?

Bushy-tailed jirds have an omnivorous diet. They can eat seeds, mealworms, insects, herbs, and parts of small bushes in the wild.

Sekeetamys calurus can collect and hide their food, especially when they know that competitors like the golden spiny mouse could also take the food. These rodents can also eat vegetables, fruits, rat or gerbil food, and seeds.

As day time is too hot, they are nocturnal and are only active during the night. The main predators of these rats are rock hyraxes, Ruppel's foxes, pale foxes, and fennec foxes.

Are they loud?

The rocky and arid mountains that bushy-tailed jirds live in are very competitive and full of predators. For their safety, they are usually not vocal and communicate using foot thumping. This makes Sekeetamys calurus a particularly quiet rodent species, and they do not make much noise.

Would they make a good pet?

The bushy-tailed jird is sweet, social, and intelligent enough to quickly learn how to respond to their owners. They would need a very large tank as a gerbil enjoys exploring and climbing, coming from a habitat full of rocky areas.

This tank would need to be full of branches, platforms, and non-toxic toys, which can be a little expensive.

As a wild social animal, Sekeetamys calurus is meant to stay in groups made up of their own species.

They are also native to Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Africa, Egypt, and other gulf countries, making them a difficult species to find in other parts of the world. While this gerbil species is smart, these wild rats may not be the best pet as it's expensive and they prefer staying with their species instead of in captivity.

Did you know...

Bushy-tailed rats are affectionate parents and often groom, bathe, wrestle and chase each other or their babies. A monogamous pair often wrestles together, and the loser is often given a thorough bath by the winner.

Are bushy-tailed jirds endangered?

Bushy-tailed jirds are uncommon, but their natural population is stable, and they face no major threat to their numbers. Therefore, the Sekeetamys calurus has been listed as a species of Least Concern and is not endangered.

How did bushy-tailed jirds get their name?

The bushy-tailed jird, Sekeetamys calurus, get their name from their tails which have very dense fur and are often groomed by members of their family. An interesting thing to note is that the bushy-tailed jirds live in groups where the pair with the bushiest tail is considered the alpha pair, and a hierarchy is established accordingly.

A jird with a tail bushier than others automatically gains a status above those that have a less bushy tail.

It is a way of identifying and establishing a chain of dominance in the same species. The tail fur may grow too long, and these animals tend to pay close attention to grooming the tail to prevent that.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals with our naked mole rat facts and coatimundi facts.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Arizona mammal coloring pages.