Cheesman’s Gerbil

Cheesman's gerbil (Gerbillus cheesmani) is a small rodent in the subfamily Gerbillinae of the family Muridae. It is distributed mainly in Arabian Peninsula to southwestern Iran. It has orange-brown fur, white underparts, large eyes and a very long tail. == Taxonomy == Cheesman's gerbil was first described by the British zoologist Oldfield Thomas in 1919. It was named in honour of its discoverer, the British military officer, explorer and ornithologist Robert Ernest Cheesman who collected it while on an exploratory expedition in Saudi Arabia. == Description == This gerbil is similar in appearance to the lesser Egyptian gerbil (Gerbillus gerbillus) and Anderson's gerbil (Gerbillus andersoni). It has a head-and-body length of between 70 and 110 mm (2.8 and 4.3 in) and a tail of between 90 and 135 mm (3.5 and 5.3 in), and like them, the soles of the feet are hairy. The dorsal pelage is orange-brown and the underparts are white. == Distribution and habitat == Cheesman's gerbil is native to the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East. Its range includes Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Syria and Jordan. Its natural habitat is arid plains with sandy soils, deserts and sabkha, flat coastal…