Sand Rat
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| Psammomys obesus |
Sand Rat (Psammomys obesus) also known as Fat Sand Rat is a terrestrial mammal from the gerbil subfamily that is mostly found in North Africa and Middle East ranging from Mauritania to Arabian Peninsula.
[edit] Habitat, Behavior and Food Habits
It usually lives in sandy deserts but may be found in rocky terrain or saline-marsh areas. It lives in burrows that are found under the bushes that they forage such as salt bushes of the Chenopodiaceae family. Fat Sand Rat is diurnal but its activity on the surface depends on the ambient temperature.
[edit] Medical Significance
Sand Rats can easily acquire diabetes mellitus by being fed normal rodent diet of grains. Therefore they have been used as an animal model for studies about diabetes. Presence of Sand Rats in North Africa and the Middle East is of healthcare importance as it can harbor the parasite agent of Leishmaniasis. These animals have been studied extensively for their remarkably efficient kidneys. They can produce very concentrated urine which enables them to survive extreme heat and lack of water in desert environment.
[edit] External links
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