Gerbils spread Black Death - scientists

Professor Stenseth said great gerbils are similar to those kept as pets today. But parents "should not be afraid' because he is "pretty sure" they will not be carrying the plague. File photo: benmckune, flickr.com

Professor Stenseth said great gerbils are similar to those kept as pets today. But parents "should not be afraid' because he is "pretty sure" they will not be carrying the plague. File photo: benmckune, flickr.com

Published Feb 26, 2015

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London - For eight centuries, black rats have been vilified for spreading the plague.

But now it seems they have been blamed unfairly – as scientists believe the real culprits were giant gerbils.

Researchers said the repeated outbreaks of the Black Death, which killed millions of people across medieval Europe, were triggered by warm, wet weather in Asia.

This provided the perfect breeding conditions for great gerbils – which are only found in central Asia and grows up to a scary eight inches long – as well as the plague-carrying fleas that lived on them.

The disease then travelled to Europe along the Silk Road trading route as the fleas jumped from the gerbils to other animals and humans.

Researcher Nils Christian Stenseth, of the University of Oslo, told the BBC: “If we are right, we will have to rewrite that part of history.”

The plague arrived in Europe from Asia in 1346, with repeat epidemics until the 19th century.

Rats have long been blamed for this, but the Norwegian team, who compared climate data with the timings of outbreaks, said the warm, dry summers European rats and their fleas would need to thrive did not coincide with the plague’s pattern.

In contrast, outbreaks of the disease in Europe matched periods of warm weather in central Asia, during which the great gerbils thrived.

Professor Stenseth said great gerbils are similar to those kept as pets today. But parents “should not be afraid’ because he is “pretty sure” they will not be carrying the plague.

Daily Mail

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