PoveyTrans (X) (asker) Sep 28, 2007:

Thanks Branka - yes, I remember now as we used to keep them as pets as children and they could jump out of their tank when given half the chance...! Don't ask me how we got on to the subject of gerbils and jerboas!

Branka Stankovic McCarthy Sep 28, 2007:

Dratted space limit :) You can do a search for both terms and you'll see both species. BTW gerbils are very good at jumping too
...a gerbil will stand on its powerful hind legs. These powerful legs also help the gerbil jump considerable distances http://www.animalnetwork.com/Critters/profiles/gerbil/defaul...

Branka Stankovic McCarthy Sep 28, 2007:

I think that both given terms mean skocimis. Jerboa iz 'pustinjski skocimis' and
gerbil is 'mongolski skocimis'.
http://svijet-ljubimaca.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11086&star...
http://skocimis.tripod.com/
http://www.ani

Branka Stankovic McCarthy Sep 28, 2007:

The word "gerbil" is a diminutive form of "jerboa", though the jerboas are an unrelated group of rodents occupying a similar ecological niche.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerbil

PoveyTrans (X) (asker) Sep 28, 2007:

for gerbil...

PoveyTrans (X) (asker) Sep 28, 2007:

The issue is complicated because Gerbils belong to the Jerboa family - or their name is the diminutive of the latter. Gerbils are the cute, usually brown animals kept as pets (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerbil) whereas Jerboas are much taller and not normally kept as pets (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerboa). The jump part of the name might suggest jerboas...this would follow the German - Springmaus as opposed to Wüstenrennmaus...and the Russians use песчанка...