It is found in Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Western China.

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, intermittent saline lakes, hot deserts, and rural gardens.

The hairs on the underside have white tips and grey bases whereas the midday jird has all-white underparts apart from a brownish chest stripe.

The claws are dark-coloured, and the soles of the hind feet are partly hairy so that patches of bare skin are visible.

Its typical habitat includes deserts and semi-deserts, river floodplains, wadis and areas with stable sand-dunes.

The Libyan jird is a diurnal species and forages for seeds, bulbs, tubers and leaves, as well as any dead insect it may find.