Bushy-tailed jird

Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Sinai and Saudi Arabia

Bushy-tailed jirds are considered a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Bushy-tailed jirds occupy arid, rocky regions.

Bushy-tailed jirds live in pairs (seasonally) or in groups. Highly social animals, they sleep in a huddle, and bathe and play with one another. Aggression between jirds is uncommon.

When threatened by predators such as birds of prey, they will screech and run frantically. Males within a group develop a hierarchy. Social status is indicated by the tail—the bushier it is, the higher the rank.

While scent markings are used to attract mates, males will also thump their feet to indicate interest in females. Once pairs are established, the male and female will wrestle—the winner bathes the loser. Two or three young are born at a time. They wean at four weeks.

• While bushy-tailed jirds will vocalize or thump feet, the most common form of communication is scent marking, using small glands on the ventral sides of their bodies. Anything that bushy-tailed jirds consider their property will receive a belly rub, including family members. Each individual has its own scent.
• To withstand their harsh, hot environment, bushy-tailed jirds are nocturnal. They escape the sun by burrowing under the edges of boulders, which they can climb under moonlight, as they are agile animals.