File:Golden_hamster_front_1.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Mesocricetus auratus
Sign in to saveAlso known as Golden hamster, pet hamster, hamster, Golden Syrian hamster, Syrian hamster
species of hamster
OverviewAI-generated
Mesocricetus auratus, commonly known as the golden hamster or Syrian hamster, is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It belongs to the genus Mesocricetus and is classified within the order Rodentia, class Mammalia, and phylum Chordata. The species is endemic to Syria and exhibits diurnal activity patterns. Its gestation period is 16 days, and the longest observed lifespan is 3.9 years.
The IUCN Red List classifies the species as Endangered, a status recorded in 2022. The taxon name is accepted by WoRMS, with the authority cited as (Waterhouse, 1839). Occurrence records are held by institutions including MSU, RBINS-SCIENTIFIC HERITAGE, UWYMV, FMNH, and USNM, with records from the United States and Turkey.
Synthesized by Vinony from 41 facts across 7 sources: Wikidata, GBIF, IUCN Red List, Gbif Occ, WoRMS, iDigBio, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
Species
EndangeredSyrian hamster
Mesocricetus auratus
SPECIES
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassMammalia
- OrderRodentia
- FamilyCricetidae
Mesocricetus auratus Le Hamster doré (Mesocricetus auratus) est un petit rongeur originaire de Syrie et de Turquie. Il s'agit d'une espèce de hamster très répandue en captivité un peu partout dans le monde. Certaines races de Hamster syrien, élevées comme animaux de laboratoire ou de compagnie, sont même considérées comme domestiques par des pays comme la France. L'espèce est également appelée Hamster roux, Hamster de Syrie, Hamster syrien ou bien encore hamster panda, nom donné souvent par les animaleries pour les hamsters noirs et blancs.
via GBIF · IUCN
Museum specimens
- Specimen records
- 357
- With media
- 12
- Family
- Cricetidae
- Collections
- MSU, RBINS-SCIENTIFIC HERITAGE, UWYMV, FMNH, USNM, ISM
- Recorded in
- United States, Turkey
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Subclass of
- Hamster
- Parent taxon
- Mesocricetus
- Image
- Golden hamster front 1.jpg
Show 11 more facts
- taxon rank
- species
- IUCN conservation status
- Endangered status
- taxon name
- Mesocricetus auratus
- Commons category
- Mesocricetus auratus
- Commons gallery
- Mesocricetus auratus
- taxon common name
- sirski zlati hrček
- gestation period
- 16
- topic's main category
- Category:Golden hamster
- endemic to
- Syria
- longest observed lifespan
- 3.9
- sequenced genome URL
- www.ensembl.org/Mesocricetus_auratus
via Wikidata · CC0
~18 min read
Encyclopedic overview
The golden hamster or Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) is a rodent belonging to the hamster subfamily, Cricetinae. Their natural geographical range is in an arid region of northern Syria and southern Turkey. Their numbers have been declining in the wild due to a loss of habitat from agriculture and deliberate elimination by humans. Thus, wild golden hamsters are now considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. However, captive breeding programs are well established, and captive-bred golden hamsters are often kept as small house pets. They are also used as scientific research animals.
Syrian hamsters are larger than many of the dwarf hamsters kept as pocket pets (up to five times larger), though the wild European hamster exceeds Syrian hamsters in size.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Mesocricetus auratus” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.