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is absent from northern Oman and the UAE, as well as the Persian
Gulf coast. It occurs in Israel and Palestine, Jordan, Syria, eastern
Turkey and Iraq, and is widespread in Iran, but absent from deserts
and high mountains. It is heavily hunted throughout the region as an
agricultural pest and for its meat.
GUNDIS (Ctenodactylidae)
Three species of gundi occur in the region and all are rather like guinea
pigs in appearance. They have short but long-haired tails, soft and
sleek coats, small, rounded ears and fairly large eyes. The overall
coloration is similar in all species, with a range of browns and buffy-
yellows. Gundis have a length of 17–29 cm and weigh 160–290 g.
Gundis occupy desert and generally dry habitats, where they live in
rock crevices from sea level to 2,400 m (7,874 ft). They forage for a
variety of plant foods during the day, and also frequently bask in the
sun. They live in small colonies that may number 3–11 individuals.
One to three young are born fully haired, with eyes open, and are soon
able to move around. Litters appear to be dropped in January–June,
but this varies from area to area.
The Long-haired Gundi (Massoutiera mzabi) occupies the Saharan
massifs, including Ahaggar, Tassili n’Ajjar, Tibesti and possibly Aïr.
Gundis Ctenodactylus gundi and C. vali are found in Morocco through
to north-western Libya. There are two more species that occur on the
fringes of the region: Speke’s Pectinator (Pectinator spekei) in eastern
Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia, and the Senegal Gundi (Felovia vae) in
a small area of adjoining Mauritania, Senegal and Mali.