Gundi

Gundis or comb rats are a group of small, stocky, African rodents in the family Ctenodactylidae. They live in rocky deserts across Northern Africa. The family comprises four living genera and five species (Speke's gundi, Felou gundi, Val's or desert gundi, common or North African gundi and Mzab gundi), as well as numerous extinct genera and species. They are in the superfamily Ctenodactyloidea. Local people in northern Africa have always known about gundis, however they first came to the notice of Western naturalists in Tripoli in 1774, and were given the name gundi mice. While they are not regarded as pests, some people hunt gundis for food. All living gundi species are members of the Ctenodactylinae sub-family. The Ctenodactylidae family also includes three extinct sub-families, Tataromyinae, Karakoromyinae and Dystylomyinae. The genus name comes from Ancient Greek κτείς (kteís), meaning "comb", and δάκτυλος (dáktulos), meaning "finger".