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Jirds vs Gerbils: What's the difference?

A guide to the help differentiate between these small, burrowing rodents

Text by: Yashaswi Rao Design by: Diviya Mehra

Updated September 17, 2025

Text by: Yashaswi Rao Design by: Diviya Mehra

Updated September 17, 2025

1 min read

A guide to the help differentiate between these small, burrowing rodents

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Both jirds and gerbils belong to the subfamily 'Gerbillinae' - they are small, burrowing rodents adapted to arid environments. All jirds are gerbils, but all gerbils are not jirds. Jirds are about 90-180 mm long excluding the tail and have short furry ears. Their tails are shorter than gerbils and they have strong, short, black front claws useful for digging burrows. Only one species of jirds is found in India: Indian desert jird. They are gregarious, living in highly social groups and are diurnal. Jirds are found in India, Northern Africa and Mongolia. Meanwhile, gerbils are found in India, southwestern and central Asia, northeastern China, Africa and Eastern Europe. The three species of gerbils found in India are Indian gerbil, Indian hair-footed gerbil and Balochistan gerbil or pygmy gerbil. Unlike jirds, they are not gregarious and are mostly solitary and nocturnal. They have longer tails, long furless ears and long hind feet.

How are jirds and gerbils related?

Both jirds and gerbils belong to the subfamily Gerbillinae. Within this lies the genus of jirds - Meriones. Therefore, all jirds are gerbils but not all gerbils are jirds.

What are the physical differences between jirds and gerbils?

Gerbils have longer tails, long furless ears and long hind feet. Jirds in turn, have shorter tails, small furry ears and strong, short black front claws.

How do jirds and gerbils differ from one another in activity and social behaviour?

All three gerbil species in India are nocturnal meanwhile the Indian desert jird is a diurnal rodent. Jirds are gregarious and tend to live in highly social groups whereas gerbils avoid overlapping burrows and are usually solitary.

About the Authors

Diviya Mehra

is a graphic designer. She was the former art director of National Geographic Traveller. Her love for animals, travel and design has shaped her career through the years.

Yashaswi Rao

is a wildlife biologist passionate about addressing contemporary conservation issues through cutting-edge interdisciplinary research. He is an alum of the MSc Wildlife Program at the National Centre for Biological Sciences.

Published Aug 25, 2025