# Eurasian Hamster

*Cricetus cricetus*

This is the largest hamster species in the world, growing to the size of a guinea pig and capable of carrying up to 30 grams of food in its elastic cheek pouches.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Mammalia › Rodentia › Cricetidae › Cricetus
- **IUCN Red List status:** Critically Endangered
- **Population trend:** decreasing
- **Biome:** grassland
- **Habitat:** Steppes, meadows, pastures, and agricultural fields with deep, diggable soils.
- **Diet:** Omnivorous; feeds on seeds, grains, green plants, roots, insects, and occasionally small vertebrates.
- **Range:** Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Russia, Kazakhstan
- **Size:** 20-35 cm in length, weighing 220-650 grams
- **Lifespan:** 2 to 4 years in the wild
- **Active:** crepuscular
- **Threats:** Agricultural intensification, habitat loss due to urban development, climate change, and widespread rodenticide use.
- **Safe to approach?:** Defensive. Do not attempt to touch, corner, or handle this species; they are fiercely territorial and will deliver a painful bite if threatened. Maintain a safe distance of at least 3 meters. If bitten, wash the wound thoroughly with soap and warm water, and seek medical attention immediately to prevent infection.

## About

The European hamster ( Cricetus cricetus ), also known as the Eurasian hamster , black-bellied hamster or common hamster , is the only species of the genus Cricetus . It is native to a large range in Eurasia, extending from Belgium to the Altai mountains and Yenisey River in Russia. Where abundant the animal is widely considered a farmland pest, and it has also been trapped for its fur. Across its global range, it is considered of least concern, but in

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/a8139b5d-0eb2-4d6b-9e4a-bf6c3e7c9cfa
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/45836
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricetus cricetus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/90772147/medium.jpeg (Christoph Moning, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.