Great Balkhan Brush-tailed Mouse

The Great Balkhan mouse-like hamster is found in southwestern Asia and southern Central Asia in the Kopetdag, Great and Lesser Balkhan, south-western Badkhyz regions of Turkmenistan, Transcaucasia in the south of the Nakhichevan Republic, northern Iran and possibly northwestern Afghanistan, although its presence in Afghanistan is yet to be confirmed. This species occurs in rocky mountain steppe, particularly cliff openings and scree, where there is shrubs or rare grass and wormwood vegetation, as well as in areas of juniper thickets.