Jirds Four Ways (Meriones spp.)
These fellows represent four different jird species. Left to right: Meriones crassus or Sundevall’s jird, M. hurrianae or Indian desert jird (on all fours), M. shawi or Shaw’s jird, and M. unguiculatus or Mongolian jird. (You may know that last one, the Mongolian jird, as the domesticated gerbil.) Jirds generally live in burrows in the desert, and most of them are nocturnal (not the Mongolian jird). They get nearly all of their water from the moisture in the food they eat and the nighttime dew that’s on it, and they use their long, tufted tails to swish sand over their burrow entrances so no one else can find them and help them balance when they’re running around.
Theo drew his jird (the Mongolian one) in the style of a Yu-Gi-Oh! card.
Jird by Theo, age 13
Hi mom strong they are so cute when I saw them I thought of our family! I was the little one that was in the front , theo was the one in the middle that was big , you were the one on the right side that was big and cute ,and dad was the one on the left! Theo’s was very cool too. Did he ask you to write about yu-gi-oh? Theo was so lucky yesterday because I Deuled him lots of times! He must of loved me lots!
P.S. love you lots! Love coco kinyak
Darling jirds, y’all! Theo, that’s great symbolism–is your jird holding a key–? And what is yu-gi-oh!
hey Kate Killebrew ! yes it is holding a key, a key to your doom!! yugioh is a card game that my family loves. Im glad you like the drawings!!!
Great stuff. They look like very similar rodents to me :)
Very nice drawings! I like both styles of drawing and also Coco’s comments.
Bravo Jirds all around. Can’t wait for Octodon!
Thanks, Laura, Grace, and Neil! Neil, I’ll draw you some octodons next week. I’m trying to do a page of several rodents once a week. I drew five spiny mice species yesterday.
Coco, I love the idea that the jirds reminded you of our family! Theo did not ask me to write about Yu-Gi-Oh, but he did specifically draw his jirds in that style, so I felt I needed to mention it. He is lucky that you dueled him so much!