Djungarian dwarf hamster

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Djungarian dwarf hamster
Djungarian hamster (Phodopus sungorus)

Djungarian hamster ( Phodopus sungorus )

Systematics
Superfamily : Mice-like (Muroidea)
Family : Burrowers (Cricetidae)
Subfamily : Hamster (Cricetinae)
Genre : Short-tailed dwarf hamster ( Phodopus )
without rank: Phodopus sungorus group
Type : Djungarian dwarf hamster
Scientific name
Phodopus sungorus
( Pallas , 1773)

The Djungarian dwarf hamster ( Phodopus sungorus ) is a type of short-tailed dwarf hamster . The Campbell dwarf hamster is compared to it as an independent species within the Phodopus sungorus group or assigned as a subspecies. The Djungarian dwarf hamster inhabits the steppes of northeastern Kazakhstan and southwestern Siberia as well as along the Yenisei in southern Siberia. It is not endangered and is kept as a test and pet animal.

The Djungarian hamster is usually seven to nine centimeters long and 19 to 45 grams in weight. The soft fur on the top is ash gray to dark brown with a black-brown eel line in summer . The fur on the underside is whitish. It runs up the sides of the body in three arcs and is separated from the fur on the top by a line of black-brown hair. In winter, the fur is partially or completely white.

The self-dug burrow of the Djungarian dwarf hamster consists of several passages and a nest chamber. It often inhabits the burrows of other small mammals. It feeds mainly on plant seeds and less on insects.

features

Body measurements

The head-trunk length of the Djungarian dwarf hamster is 70 to 90 millimeters, the length of the tail 5 to 15 millimeters. The hind paws are 11 to 15 millimeters long, the auricles 11 to 16 millimeters.

The body weight undergoes extensive annual basis and is in July and August and lowest in December or January the lowest. In males, body weights usually range from 19 to 45 grams, and in females from 19 to 36 grams. In human care, however, they become a little heavier - from 60 grams they are considered overweight.

Fur and color

In summer, the fur of the Djungarian hamster is ash gray to dark brown on the back, occasionally with a light brown tint. The ends of the hair are black and the base of the hair is dark slate blue. The face is gray-brown, the mouth area and the areas of the whiskers and ears are slightly lighter. The auricles are gray with a pale pink hue, the outside of the auricles and the rims of the eyes are black. The rest of the head is dark brown to black. A black-brown eel line runs from a dark spot on the head to the base of the tail. This is three and a half millimeters wide at the narrowest point. The throat, abdomen, tail and limbs are whitish with scattered black hair. The hair on the underside is completely white or has a bluish tinge at the base of the hair. The light fur on the underside extends upwards in three arcs on the shoulders, flanks and hips. It is delimited from the darker fur on the upper side by the three-arch line consisting of black-brown hair.

In the first winter, the fur of most hamsters is thicker and completely or white except for the eel line, sometimes with a gray tinge on the head. More than ten percent of hamsters keep their summer fur in the first winter. In the second winter, only a few change to winter fur and the winter color is less pronounced. The coat change to winter coat begins in October or November and is completed in December, that to summer coat begins in January or February and is completed in March or early April. Both coat changes run from spots on the head and the back of the back to the sides, limbs and underside. The hair on the top is about 10 millimeters long in summer and 10.2 millimeters in winter.

It is believed that hair pigmentation is controlled by the hormone prolactin and influenced by sex hormones . The day length must be less than 14 hours to trigger the switch to Winterfell. The switch to winter fur can already be triggered in summer by keeping it under short day lengths. The switch back to summer fur then occurs in autumn without the day lengths being changed. Hamsters kept at indoor temperatures start changing to winter coat later and earlier with summer coat. The winter color is less pronounced in them.

The Djungarian hamster's eyes are black.

skull

According to Winogradow and Argiropulo (1941) the greatest length of the skull is 23 to 25 millimeters, according to Ross (1992) the occipitonasal length is 25 to 27 millimeters. The tympanic sacs are flattened and small, and each is provided with a slightly tubular, anterior and central bulge that extends to the pterygoid hamulus of the wing bone.

Way of life

Habitat and population density

The semi-deserts in Central Asia belong to the habitat of the Djungarian dwarf hamster . It was found in dry steppes , on wheat and alfalfa fields as well as in small fields in the forests of the region around Minussinsk and the grain fields of Kazakhstan. In the northwestern part of its distribution area, it also lives in meadows and birch stands .

The population density varies. Of 151 small mammals caught in the Koibal Steppes of Khakassia in 1963 , 31.8 percent were Djungarian dwarf hamsters.

construction

The structure of the Djungarian dwarf hamster varies in different parts of its range. In Kazakhstan it consists of vertical corridors with four to six entrances, the nest chamber is about one meter below the surface of the earth. In Khakassia, the building consists of several horizontal and vertical corridors, which are connected to a main corridor about 35 centimeters below the surface of the earth. In summer the nest is made of moss and in winter of animal fur. In the koibal steppe of Khakassia, the Djungarian dwarf hamster mostly lives in the burrows of marmots and other mammals and seldom builds their own burrows. Structures dug under semi-natural conditions have a higher air humidity and lower temperature fluctuations than their surroundings.

Diet and predators

The Djungarian hamster feeds mainly on seeds of wild plants, mostly grass , but insects , especially grasshoppers , are also eaten. In 40 hamsters examined, Judin et al. (1979) found plant seeds in 32 stomachs, vegetative parts of plants in 11 stomachs and insects in 15 stomachs. In winter they observed Djungarian hamsters eating undigested grains from horse manure . In summer, more complex carbohydrates are absorbed than fats and more fats than proteins ; in winter, the absorption of complex carbohydrates and proteins increases and the absorption of fats decreases.

Among the predators heard the weasel .

Distribution and existence

The main distribution area of the Djungarian dwarf hamster are the steppes of northeast Kazakhstan and southwest Siberia. He also lives in the Khakass and Minussinsk steppes along the Yenisei. The two distribution areas are spatially separated from each other and from those of the Campbell dwarf hamster and the Roborowski dwarf hamster . In 1876 it was still found frequently in the lower elevations of Turkestan .

The World Conservation Organization IUCN classifies the Djungarian hamster as not endangered .

Systematics and nomenclature

Peter Simon Pallas described the Djungarian dwarf hamster as Mus sungorus in 1773 .

The Djungarian dwarf hamster is a type of short-tailed dwarf hamster. The Campbell dwarf hamster is compared to it as an independent species within the Phodopus sungorus group or assigned as a subspecies . No further subspecies are distinguished.

The type specimen of the Djungarian dwarf hamster was described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1773 as Mus sungorus . The species name sungorus is derived from the Djungarian region , which, according to today's understanding, lies outside of the distribution area. Ellerman and Morrison-Scott (1951) give the location of the type specimen as “Grachevsk, 100 kilometers west of Semei ” in Kazakhstan, while Argiropulo (1933) names the Barabasteppe in Russia as the location .

In 1778 Pallas renamed the Djungarian dwarf hamster Mus songarus . Ned Hollister assigned it to the genus Phodopus in 1912 , Oldfield Thomas in 1917 to the new genus Cricetiscus . AI Argiropulo gave priority to the spelling sungorus in 1933 and united it as a subspecies Phodopus sungorus sungorus with the Campbell dwarf hamster.

Djungarian dwarf hamster and human

The Djungarian hamster reproduces well in human care and is easy to tame . The average per litter is four pups. Litters with one to nine young animals are also possible. It is suitable as an animal model for the investigation of depression , since especially in males of a mixed-sex couple the body weight increases and the social interaction as well as the exploratory behavior decrease when the couple is separated. Cantrell and Padovan (1987) summarize care, handling, susceptibility to disease, and use in research.

Mother-of-pearl colored Djungarian dwarf hamster

In addition to the natural, as "wild-colored" or " agouti " and dominantly inherited coloring, other colors occur in human care:

  • With the color "winter white" (agouti), the coat color corresponds to that of the typical winter coat. The brightness can vary. The fur on the upper side is grayish white, that of the underside, paws and tail is white. The eel line and the three-arch line are light to dark gray, the ears are gray and the eyes are black. The color is inherited dominantly.
  • With the color “sapphire” or “blue”, the hair on the top is bluish gray, the hair base is dark blue-gray. The fur on the underside is dirty white with a bluish cast. The three-arch line can be clearly seen. The eel line and other drawings that are dark in the wild are dark blue-gray and much paler. The auricles are dark gray, the eyes black. The color can get much lighter in winter. It is inherited recessively and first appeared in Great Britain in 1988.
  • With the drawing "mother of pearl" or "pearl" (pearl is a drawing gene and always occurs in connection with the color gene sapphire or agouti "winter white") the hair on the upper side is white. The ends of the hair are lightly and evenly colored, the hair base is dark. In between there are black guide hairs. The fur on the underside is white. The eel line and other drawings that are dark in the wild are barely or not at all recognizable. The auricles are light gray, the eyes black. Male hamsters' fertility may be impaired. Two genes may be involved in the development of color. The color first appeared in the UK in 1989.

Web links

Commons : Djungarian Hamster  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Used literature

Mainly used literature:

Further literature cited several times:

  • Anatoly Iwanowitsch Argiropulo: The genera and species of the hamsters (Cricetinae Murray, 1866) of the Palearctic . In: Journal of Mammals . tape 8 , 1933, pp. 129-149 .
  • J. Figala, Klaus Hoffmann, G. Goldau: On the annual period in the Djungarian dwarf hamster Phodopus sungorus Pallas . In: Oecologia . tape 12 , 1973, p. 89-118 , doi : 10.1007 / BF00345511 .
  • AI Krylzow, IG Schubin: About the ecology of the Eversmann dwarf hamster ( Cricetulus eversmanni ) and the Djungarian dwarf hamster ( Phodopus sungorus ) . In: Soologitscheski Schurnal . tape 43 , 1964, pp. 1062-1070 (Russian original title: Об экологии хомячков Эверсманна ( Cricetulus eversmanni ) и джунгарского ( Phodopus sungorus )).
  • Peter Simon Pallas: Journey through different provinces of the Russian Empire. Second part . Imperial Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg 1773.
  • Stephan Steinlechner: Djungarian hamster and / or Siberian hamster: Who is Who? In: European Pineal Society NEWS . tape 38 , 1998, pp. 7–11 ( full text (PDF; 107 kB)).
  • Boris Stepanowitsch Vinogradow, AI Argiropulo: Fauna of the USSR. Mammals . Israel Program for Scientific Translations, Jerusalem 1968 (English translation of the Russian original edition from 1941).

Remarks

  1. ↑ a b Krylzow and Schubin 1964. Quoted in: Ross 1998 (p. 1, “General Characters”).
  2. ↑ a b c Winogradow and Argiropulo 1941. Quoted in: Ross 1998 (p. 1, “General Characters”).
  3. ↑ a b c Figala et al . 1973 (abstract). The information relates to hamsters kept under natural conditions.
  4. ↑ a b Connie A. Cantrell, Dennis Padovan: Phodopus sungorus (Dzungarian hamster) . In: GL Van Hoosier junior, Charles W. McPherson (eds.): Laboratory Hamsters . Academic Press, New York 1987, ISBN 0-12-714165-0 , pp. 370-376 .
  5. ↑ a b c d e Figala and co-workers 1973. Quoted in: Ross 1998 (p. 1, “General Characters”).
  6. ↑ a b c d e f Chris Logsdail, Peter Logsdail, Kate Hovers: Hamsterlopaedia. A Complete Guide to Hamster Care . Ringpress Books, Dorking 2005, ISBN 1-86054-246-8 , pp. 158 (reprint of the 2002 edition).
  7. ^ A b Patricia D. Ross: Morphological variation and phylogeny of Palaearctic hamsters (Rodentia, Cricetinae) . Dissertation. University of Toronto, Toronto 1992. Quoted in: Ross 1998 (p. 1, “Diagnosis”, “General Characters”).
  8. ↑ U. Hamann: On the activity and behavior of three taxa of the dwarf hamsters of the genus Phodopus Miller, 1910 . In: Journal of Mammals . tape 52 , 1987, pp. 65-76 . Quoted in: Ross 1998 (p. 1, “Context and Content” of the genus, “Diagnosis”).
  9. ↑ a b c d e Sandra Honigs: Dwarf Hamsters. Biology. Attitude. Breeding . 2nd Edition. Natur- und Tier-Verlag, Münster 2005, ISBN 3-931587-96-7 , p. 9, 56-58 .
  10. ↑ Wladimir Evgenjewitsch Flint: The dwarf hamsters of the Palearctic fauna . In: The New Brehm Library . 2nd Edition. tape 366 . Westarp Sciences, Hohenwarsleben 2006, ISBN 3-89432-766-9 , p. 7 (reprint of the 1st edition from 1966).
  11. ↑ Steinlechner 1998 (p. 10).
  12. ↑ Pallas 1773. Quoted in: Ross 1998 (p. 1, “General Characters”).
  13. ↑ Zdenêk Veselovský, S. Grundová: Contribution to the knowledge of the jungle hamster, Phodopus sungorus (Pallas, 1773) . In: Journal of Mammals . tape 30 , 1964, pp. 305-311 . Quoted in: Ross 1998 (pp. 1–2, “Form”).
  14. ↑ Gerhard Heldmaier, Stephan Steinlechner: Seasonal control of energy requirements for thermoregulation in the Djungarian hamster ( Phodopus sungorus ), living in natural photoperiod . In: Journal of Comparative Physiology B: Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology . tape 142 , 1981, pp. 429-437 , doi : 10.1007 / BF00688972 . Quoted in: Ross 1998 (pp. 1–2, “Form”).
  15. ↑ Marilyn J. Duncan, Bruce D. Goldman: Hormonal regulation of the annual pelage color cycle in the Djungarian hamster, Phodopus sungorus . I. Role of the gonads and the pituitary . In: The Journal of Experimental Zoology . tape 230 , 1984, pp. 89-95 , doi : 10.1002 / jez.1402300112 .
  16. ↑ Marilyn J. Duncan, Bruce D. Goldman, Mary Nina DiPinto, Milton H. Stetson: Testicular function and pelage color have different critical daylengths in the Djungarian hamster, Phodopus sungorus sungorus . In: Endocrinology . tape 116 , 1985, pp. 424-430 ( abstract ).
  17. ↑ John Reeves Ellerman: The Families and Genera of Living Rodents. Vol. 2: Family Muridae . British Museum (Natural History), London 1941. Quoted in: Ross 1998 (p. 1, “General Characters”).
  18. ↑ a b c d e Boris Stepanowitsch Judin, Lijana Iwanowa Galkina, Antonina Fedorowna Potapkina: [Mammals of the Altai- Sayan mountain region] . Nauka, Novosibirsk 1979 (Russian original title: Млекопитающие Алтае-Саянской горной страны). Quoted in: Ross 1998 (p. 5, “Ecology”).
  19. ^ MN Meier: [Peculiarities of the reproduction and development of Phodopus sungorus Pallas of different geographic populations] . In: Soologitscheski Schurnal . tape 46 , 1967, p. 604-614 (Russian). Quoted in: Ross 1998 (p. 5, “Ecology”). The data refer to the area of ​​Minusinsk.
  20. ↑ a b Krylzow and Schubin 1964. Quoted in: Ross 1998 (p. 5, “Ecology”). The information relates to Kazakhstan.
  21. ↑ Winogradow and Argiropulo 1941. Quoted in: Ross 1998 (p. 5, “Ecology”).
  22. ↑ Bernd Schierwater, Hans Klingel : Food digestibility and water requirements in the Djungarian hamster, Phodopus sungorus . In: Journal of Mammals . tape 50 , 1986, pp. 35-39 . Quoted in: Ross 1998 (p. 5, “Ecology”).
  23. ↑ Jacqueline B. Fine, Timothy J. Bartness: Daylength and body mass affect diet self-selection by Siberian hamsters . In: Physiology and Behavior . tape 59 , 1996, pp. 1039-1050 . Quoted in: Ross 1998 (p. 5, “Ecology”). The information relates to hamsters kept in human care.
  24. ↑ MD Swerew: [Materials on the biology and the agricultural significance of the polecat and other small predators from the Mustelidae family in Siberia] . In: [Work on the plant protection of Siberia] . tape 1 , no. 8 . Novosibirsk 1931 (Russian original title: Материалы по биологии и сельскохозяйственному значению в Сибири хориалы хориалы селька и других мельска и друщих мелих мелих мелих мелих мелих мелих. Quoted in: Ross 1998 (p. 5, “Ecology”).
  25. ^ A b Guy G. Musser, Michael D. Carleton: Superfamily Muroidea . In: Don E. Wilson, DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference . 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 , pp. 1046 .
  26. ↑ Nikolai Nikolajewitsch Voronzow, Sevili Ibragimowne Radschabli, KL Lyapunowa: Karyological differentiation of allopatric forms of hamsters of the superspecies Phodopus sungorus and heteromorphism of the sex chromosomes in the females . In: Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR. Biological Science Section . tape 173 , 1967, pp. 55-58 . Quoted in: Ross 1998 (p. 1, “Distribution”; Fig. 3, p. 5, “Ecology”).
  27. ↑ Nikolai Alexejewitsch Severzow: The mammals of Turkestan . In: Annals and Magazine of Natural History. Series 4 . tape 18 , 1876, p. 40-57 . Quoted in: Ross 1998 (p. 1, “Distribution”).
  28. ↑ Jonathan Baillie: Phodopus sungorus . In: IUCN 2007 (Ed.): 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 1996 ( data set ).
  29. ↑ Pallas 1773 (p. 703). Quoted in: Ross 1998 (p. 1, Synonymie der Kind).
  30. ↑ Steinlechner 1998 (p. 8).
  31. ↑ John Reeves Ellerman, Terence Charles Stuart Morrison-Scott: Checklist of Palaearctic and Indian Mammals 1758 to 1946 . British Museum (Natural History), London 1951, p. 627 . Quoted in: Ross 1998 (p. 1, Synonymie der Kind). Wording on the place where Mus sungorus was found : "Gratschefskoi, 100 km west of Semipalatinsk, 'Siberia.'"
  32. ↑ Argiropulo 1933 (p. 136). Quoted in: Ross 1998 (p. 1, Synonymie der Kind). Wording of the place where Mus sungorus was found : "the Barabinische Steppe."
  33. ↑ Peter Simon Pallas: Novae species quadrupedum e glirium ordine . Wolfgang Walther, Erlangen 1778, p. 269 . Quoted in: Ross 1998 (p. 1, Synonymie der Kind).
  34. ^ Ned Hollister: New mammals from the highlands of Siberia . In: Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections . tape 60 , 1912, pp. 3 . Quoted in: Ross 1998 (p. 1, Synonymie der Kind).
  35. ↑ Oldfield Thomas: On the small hamsters that have been referred to Cricetulus phaeus and campbelli . In: Annals and Magazine of Natural History. Series 8 . tape 19 , 1917, pp. 456-457 . Quoted in: Ross 1998 (p. 1, synonymy of the genus).
  36. ↑ Argiropulo 1933. Quoted in: Ross 1998 (p. 1, Synonymie der Kind).
  37. ↑ Argiropulo 1933 (p. 136). Quoted in: Ross 1998 (p. 6, “Remarks”).
  38. ↑ Ross 1998 (p. 6, "Behavior").
  39. ↑ Jacqueline N. Crawley: Evaluation of a proposed hamster separation model of depression . In: Psychiatry Research . tape 11 , 1984, pp. 35-47 ( abstract from PubMed).