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Golden hamster - MESOCRICETUS AURATUS
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Hamster": "Hamster" is the German word for the animal.
Location: Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Steppe and grassland.
Description: The back is a deep golden or reddish brown, and the underside is paler. The cheek pouches can extend as far as the shoulders, and when they are full they seem to double the size of the hamster's head. The hambster can grow over seven inches long, with only another half-inch added on for the tail. It can weigh up to five ounces, with the female slightly larger than the male.
Behavior: This animal is mainly nocturnal and lives in burrows dug in the ground, usually alone or in small family groups. It feeds on a large variety of foods and can reproduce during any month in the year, at least when it is in captivity.
Reproduction: The female has 14-16 nipples, and gestation lasts only 16 days. The number of young averages six or seven, although litters of 15 young have been recorded.
Note: This species is well known throughout the world as a household pet and is widely studied in scientific laboratories. All the golden hamsters living in captivity today originate from a single female with twelve youngsters which were dug from a burrow in Syria in 1930.
Go to the Rodents Page to learn more about all the gnawing animals.
Go to the Common Hamster for
the only other Hamster listed in America Zoo.
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