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European (Common) Hamster - Cricetus cricetus
Topic Started: Jul 11 2012, 11:23 AM (2,958 Views)
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European (Common) Hamster - Cricetus cricetus

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Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Cricetidae
Subfamily: Cricetinae
Genus: Cricetus
Species: Cricetus cricetus

The common hamster, also known as the European hamster, is a species of hamster which is the only member of the genus cricetus. The animal is widely considered a farmland pest, and has also been trapped for its fur. Across its global range it is considered of least concern but in many individual European countries it is considered critically endangered.

Habitat

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It is native to a large global range, extending from western Europe, through central and eastern Europe, Russia, and Kazakhstan, reaching as far east as the Yenisey river.

It is typically found in low-lying farmland, although it may also inhabit meadows, gardens or hedges.

Description
The common hamster has brown dorsal fur with white patches. The chest and belly are black. The tail is short and furred. It is much larger than the golden or dwarf hamsters which are commonly kept as pets. It can grow to 20–35 cm (8-14 inches) long with a tail of 40–60 mm (1.5-2.3 inches). It typically weighs 220-460 g (8-16 ounces).

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Ecology
The common hamster is a nocturnal or crepuscular species. It lives singly but in a complex burrow system.

It eats seeds, legumes, root vegetables and grasses and also insects. It transports its food in its elastic cheek pouches to the food storage chambers.

It hibernates between October and March. During this time it wakes every five to seven days to feed from the storage chambers. The adults reach sexual maturity when they are about 43 days old and breed from early April to August. The gestation period is 18–20 days and the size of the litter ranges from 3–15 young which are weaned when aged three weeks.



Edited by Taipan, Jul 12 2012, 10:33 PM.
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