Cheesman's gerbil

Cheesman's gerbil, Gerbillus cheesmani, is a small gerbil of the Arabian Peninsula and neighbouring parts of the Middle East, with a range that includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Syria and Jordan. Oldfield Thomas described it in 1919 and named it after Robert Ernest Cheesman, the British officer, explorer and ornithologist who collected it in Saudi Arabia. It has orange-brown fur above, white underparts, large eyes and a very long tail; the head and body measure 70 to 110 millimetres and the tail 90 to 135 millimetres. It lives on arid sandy plains, deserts and coastal salt pans, often among shrubs such as Haloxylon, Calligonum and Ephedra alata. It is nocturnal, spending the day in a burrow and emerging after dark to forage for seeds and grasses, and it saves water by producing very dry droppings. Owls and foxes prey on it. The IUCN rates it Least Concern, since it is common and widespread with a stable population trend.