CreatureData

Persian jird

Meriones persicus (Blanford, 1875)

LCLeast Concernrodents

The persian jird (Meriones persicus) is a species in the family Muridae, order Rodentia. Recorded adults weigh about 100 g and live up to 6 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Persian jird (Meriones persicus)
Photo: Bullet · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the persian jird

Weight
100 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
6 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Herbivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
6 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
26 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
4.33src for Young per litter or clutch
Active
At night (nocturnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the persian jird live?

Not recorded

What is the persian jird?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The Persian jird (Meriones persicus) is a species of rodent in the family Muridae found in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Turkmenistan.

The Persian jird is about 6 inches (15 cm) long and has a brush-tipped tail that is slightly longer than the body. They are brown with white bellies.

The Persian jird's natural habitats are dry rocky hillsides with little vegetation and semi-desert areas. They find shelter in either small burrows or under overhanging rocks. These jirds can also be found living near humans, such as under walls.

In the wild, Persian jirds eat dry plant material and grains, with small insects as a supplement.

Persian jirds usually have two litters a year, each with around seven pups.

Some people keep this species as a pet. They can live to be six or seven years old. They need large cages that allow climbing and leaping.

The high abundance of Persian jird in many areas, as well as their several proper features, makes them a suitable species for biomonitoring programs.

From the Wikipedia article “Persian jird” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Persian_jird&oldid=1351640737), 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 persian jird endangered?

The persian 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 persian jird classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderRodentia
  5. familyMuridae
  6. genusMeriones
  7. SpeciesMeriones persicus (Blanford, 1875)

Synonyms Meriones ambrosius, Meriones persicus baptistae, Meriones persicus gurganensis, Meriones rossicus, Tatera suschkini

Other names and names in other languages (12)
  • جرد فارسيArabic
  • pískomil perskýCzech
  • Persische RennratteGerman
  • Περσικός ΓέρβιλοςGreek
  • iraninjirdiFinnish
  • Mérione de PerseFrench
  • Merione di PersiaItalian
  • ペルシアスナネズミJapanese
  • Perzische WoestijnmuisDutch
  • suwak perskiPolish
  • Персидская песчанкаRussian
  • İran ÇölfaresiTurkish

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the persian jird

Other species in the same genus Meriones.

ComparePersian jird vs Mongolian gerbilPersian jird vs Libyan jirdPersian jird vs Sundevall's jirdPersian jird vs Midday jird

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the persian jird?

An adult persian jird weighs 100 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the persian jird endangered?

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

How long does the persian jird live?

The persian jird has a recorded lifespan of 6 years.

How long is the persian jird pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 26 days.

What kind of animal is the persian jird?

The persian jird (Meriones persicus) 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.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Persian jird (Meriones persicus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/persian-jird

MLA

“Persian jird (Meriones persicus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/persian-jird.

BibTeX
@misc{persian_jird_2026,
  title = {Persian jird (Meriones persicus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/persian-jird},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}