CreatureData

Libyan jird

Meriones libycus Lichtenstein, 1823

LCLeast Concernrodents

The libyan jird (Meriones libycus) is a species in the family Muridae, order Rodentia. Recorded adults weigh about 91.3 g and live up to 5.18 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Libyan jird (Meriones libycus)
Photo: Telegro · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the libyan jird

Weight
91.3 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
5.18 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Herbivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
5.2 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
grassland, shrublandsrc for Habitat
Gestation
25.6 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
4.97src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
3 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Active
By day (diurnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the libyan jird live?

Not recorded

What is the libyan jird?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The Libyan jird (Meriones libycus) is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Western China. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, intermittent saline lakes, hot deserts, and rural gardens.

From the Wikipedia article “Libyan jird” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Libyan_jird&oldid=1314864460), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the libyan jird endangered?

The libyan jird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the libyan jird classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderRodentia
  5. familyMuridae
  6. genusMeriones
  7. SpeciesMeriones libycus Lichtenstein, 1823

Synonyms Gerbillus caucasicus, Gerbillus erythrearus, Gerbillus erythrourus, Gerbillus eversmanni, Gerbillus guyonii, Gerbillus renaultii, Gerbillus schousboeii, Gerbillus turfanensis, Meriones caucasius, Meriones collium, Meriones erythrearus, Meriones erythrourus, Meriones erythrourus aquilo, Meriones gaetulus, Meriones iranensis, Meriones libycus caudatus, Meriones libycus confalonierii, Meriones mariae, Meriones melanurus, Meriones schousboei tuareg, Meriones syrius, Meriones syrius edithae, Meriones syrius evelynae, Pallasiomys erythrourus marginae, Pallasiomys erythrourus maxeratis, Pallasiomys erythrourus oxianus, Pallasiomys erythrourus sogdianus

Other names and names in other languages (16)
  • جرد ليبيArabic
  • pískomil rudoocasýCzech
  • Libysche RennratteGerman
  • Γερβίλος της ΛιβύηςGreek
  • Rata de Cola RojaSpanish
  • libyanjirdiFinnish
  • Mérione à queue rougeFrench
  • מריון לוביHebrew
  • リビアスナネズミJapanese
  • Қызылқұйрық құмтышқанKazakh
  • 리비아저드Korean
  • LibyaørkenrotteNorwegian Bokmål
  • suwak libijskiPolish
  • Ливийская песчанкаRussian
  • Краснохвостая песчанкаRussian
  • Libya ÇölfaresiTurkish

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the libyan jird

Other species in the same genus Meriones.

CompareLibyan jird vs Mongolian gerbilLibyan jird vs Sundevall's jirdLibyan jird vs Persian jirdLibyan jird vs Midday jird

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the libyan jird?

An adult libyan jird weighs 91.3 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the libyan jird endangered?

The libyan jird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the libyan jird live?

The libyan jird has a recorded lifespan of 5.18 years.

How long is the libyan jird pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 25.6 days.

What kind of animal is the libyan jird?

The libyan jird (Meriones libycus) belongs to the family Muridae in the order Rodentia.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

Embed a card for this animal on your own site

Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.

Preview the card

APA

CreatureData. (2026). Libyan jird (Meriones libycus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/libyan-jird

MLA

“Libyan jird (Meriones libycus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/libyan-jird.

BibTeX
@misc{libyan_jird_2026,
  title = {Libyan jird (Meriones libycus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/libyan-jird},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}