The European hamster (Cricetus cricetus), also called the Eurasian hamster, black-bellied hamster, or common hamster, is the only species of the genus Cricetus. It lives in grasslands and similar habitats in a majority of Eurasia, extending from Belgium to the Altai Mountain Range and the Yenisey River in Russia. Historically, it has been considered a pest and was trapped for its fur. Its population has massively declined and is now considered to be critically endangered by the IUCN Red List.
Description[]
The European hamster has brown dorsal fur with white patches and black fur on its underside. It has a short, furry tail. It is much larger than the Syrian and dwarf hamsters that are commonly owned as pets, and it's the largest known hamster species. It has an average weight of 220-460 g (7.76-16.23 oz) and a head-body length of 20-35 cm (7.87-13.78 in) and a 4-6 cm (1.57-2.36 in) tail. It has a dental formula of 1.0.0.3/1.0.0.3.
Behavior[]
The European hamster is a nocturnal animal that lives in a complex burrow system. It is omnivorous, eating foods such as seeds, legumes, root vegetables, grasses, and insects. It transports food from its elastic cheek pouches to its food storage chambers. These storage chambers may be quite big and on average contain 2-3 kg (4.4-6.6 lbs) of food, sometimes even up to 65 kg (143 lbs). It hibernates from October through March. During this time, it wakes every 5-7 days to eat from its storage chambers. Adults reach sexual maturity at around 43 days of age and breed from early April through August. The gestation period is around 18-20 days, and their litters can have around 3-15 babies, which are weaned at 3 weeks of age. European hamsters are usually solitary animals.
Distribution and conservation status[]
European hamsters are usually seen in low-lying farmlands with soft loam or loess soils, they sometimes live in meadows, gardens, or hedges. They are found from Belgium to Alsace in the west, to Russia in the east, and Bulgaria in the south.
In captivity, they have a lifespan of 8 years.
The Court of Justice of the European Union, which is the European Union's highest court, stated that in 2011 France had failed to protect the European hamster. The French government would face fines of up to $24.6 million if France didn't change its agricultural and urbanization policies. In 2014, France created a captive-breeding program that aimed to release 500 European hamsters into unused farmland fields.
In 2020, the IUCN Red List classified the European hamster as a critically endangered species across its global range. The reasoning for its massive decline is not understood very well, but it has been linked to habitat loss due to intensive agricultural practices and the construction of roads which fragment populations, climate change, historical fur trapping, and pollution, even light pollution can cause can cause a large reduction in local populations, unless counterbalanced by other factors.
Gallery[]
_Cricetus_cricetus.jpg "Die vergleichende Osteologie (1821) Cricetus cricetus.jpg (179 KB)")
