| Middle East Blind Mole Rat | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Spalacidae |
| Genus: | Spalax |
| Species: | S. ehrenbergi |
| Binomial name | |
| Spalax ehrenbergi (Nehring, 1898) |
|
The Middle East Blind Mole Rat or Israel Mole Rat (Spalax ehrenbergi or Nannospalax ehrenbergi) is a species of rodent in the Spalacidae family. It is found in Egypt, Iraq, Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Syria and Turkey. Its natural habitat is Mediterranean-type shrubbish vegetation, and it is threatened by habitat loss.
Recent cytogenetic studies have shown that S. ehrenbergi may actually be a species group containing several cryptic species with chromosome numbers 2n=48, 2n=52, 2n=54, 2n=56 and 2n=58.[1]