Middle hamster
| Middle hamster | ||||||||||||
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Syrian hamster ( Mesocricetus auratus ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Mesocricetus | ||||||||||||
| Nehring , 1898 |
The middle hamsters ( Mesocricetus ) are a genus of mammals from the hamster subfamily (Cricetinae). The distribution of the genus is limited to Southeast Europe and the Middle East. It comprises four species, of which the golden hamster is the best known.
features
All species are significantly smaller than the European hamster, which is also native to Central Europe . They are squat hamsters with short legs and small feet, relatively large ears and cheek pouches, and a very short tail. The head-trunk length is 120-280 mm and the tail length 13-39 mm. The animals weigh 80-320 g. All species have black markings at least on the sides of the back of the head. The females have 7-11 pairs of mammary glands . There are 16 teeth, the tooth formula is 1/1, 0/0, 0/0, 3/3.
distribution and habitat
The genus is restricted to Southeastern Europe and the Middle East; two of the four species have very small distribution areas. Middle hamsters are predominantly inhabitants of barren steppes, but also colonize meadows and fields.
Systematics
The genus includes four species:
- Turkish hamster ( Mesocricetus brandti ) - Turkey , south of the Caucasus in Armenia , Georgia, and Azerbaijan, and northwestern Iran , and an isolated population in the northern Caucasus in south Dagestan
- Syrian hamster ( Mesocricetus auratus ) - Area around Aleppo .
- Black-breasted hamster ( Mesocricetus raddei ) - Northern slopes of the Caucasus and the upstream lowlands.
- Romanian hamster ( Mesocricetus newtoni ) - eastern Romania and northern Bulgaria .
Way of life
Middle hamsters are crepuscular and nocturnal. The animals are loners and build deep earthworks with sleeping and storage chambers. They are omnivores, the food consists of green parts of plants, seeds, fruits, invertebrates and occasionally small vertebrates . All species hibernate .
swell
Individual evidence
- ^ Wilson, DE and DM Reeder: Mammal Species of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005: Mesocricetus. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 online
- ^ Mesocricetus in the 2011 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . Retrieved March 24, 2012.
literature
- S. Aulagnier, P. Haffner, AJ Mitchell-Jones, F. Moutou, J. Zima: The mammals of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East - The destination guide. Haupt Verlag; Bern, Stuttgart, Vienna, 2009: pp. 188–189. ISBN 978-3-258-07506-8
