# Thin sand rat (*Psammomys vexillaris*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/thin-sand-rat  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The thin sand rat (Psammomys vexillaris) is a species in the family Muridae, order Rodentia. Recorded adults weigh 114.8 g to 177.3 g and live up to 3.14 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Data Deficient.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 114.8 g – 177.3 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 3.14 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 3.2 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 24.8 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 3.5 |
| Age at maturity | 3.29 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 3.44 |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Data Deficient (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Rodentia
- family: Muridae
- genus: Psammomys
- species: *Psammomys vexillaris* Thomas, 1925

Synonyms: *Psammomys vexillaris edusa*

## Common questions

### How big is the thin sand rat?

An adult thin sand rat weighs 114.8 g – 177.3 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

### Is the thin sand rat endangered?

The thin sand rat is listed as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List, meaning it has too little data for its risk to be assessed.

### How long does the thin sand rat live?

The thin sand rat has a recorded lifespan of 3.14 years.

### How long is the thin sand rat pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 24.8 days.

### What kind of animal is the thin sand rat?

The thin sand rat (Psammomys vexillaris) belongs to the family Muridae in the order Rodentia.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Thin sand rat (Psammomys vexillaris). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/thin-sand-rat