Rodents are a highly varied order of mammals, within which there are various species that through time and for different reasons, have had a history of relationship with human beings. In this tab of our site, we want to present you this time with information about the European hamster (Cricetus cricetus), which is also known as the common, Eurasian or Eurasian hamster. black belly.
Characteristics of the European hamster
The main characteristics of the European hamster could be said to be the following:
- Pelaje: it is brown, which can be reddish or grayish on the sides and back. The belly is black, hence one of its common names; and the snout, lips, throat, cheek, and feet are white.
- Eyes: Has prominent, dark-colored eyes.
- Nariz: As for the nostrils, they are wide and oblique.
- Teeth: Another characteristic of the European hamster is that its teeth are only of the incisor and molar type.
- Whiskers: they are abundant, adding about 30 rigid white or brown hairs.
- Forelimbs: they are a little shorter than the hindlimbs, with five pads on the former and six on the latter.
- Ears: measure between 2.3 to 3.2 cm and are arranged dorsomedially.
- Cola: it is not so long, it has a length of 3 to 6 cm. Also, the fur on the tail is shorter than the rest of the body.
- Sexual dimorphism: exists in terms of weight and size, since males weigh an average of 450 gr and 24.1 cm, while the females 360 gr and 23.7 cm.
Habitat of the European hamster
Originally, the habitat of the European hamster was constituted by steppes and grasslands of fertile lands However, it has spread to a great measured towards intervened areas such as crops, mainly cereals, fields, roadsides, bushes associated with farms, gardens and orchards. In fact, it is now associated more with ecosystems related to people than with natural areas.
This rodent prefers deep, dense or clay soils,in which it digs its extensive burrows where it lives. On the other hand, it is distributed in areas of up to 400 m.a.s.l.
Customs of the European hamster
This hamster is a good digger, with solitary and nocturnal habits, however, its habits are influenced by the environmental conditions that are determined by the different annual seasons. In this sense, when the culmination of the summer season begins, the European hamster intensifies its feeding to increase its fat reserves in the body, also, its fur darkens by the time it enters hibernation, which lasts approximately between mid from October to mid-March.
When the European hamster hibernates, it positions itself in a curled up position, but with its front limbs extended. It usually wakes up every 5 or 7 days to eat and continues with the torpor process.
In the summer, this rodent is located between 30 to 60 cm underground, however, in the hibernation period, it descends to about 2 meters in the burrow. As we have mentioned, it is an excellent excavator, so that its lairs consist of fairly extensive tunnels with various exits, it also makes chambers where it stores food, and others it uses as latrines.
Finally, we can mention that this rodent, except for the moment of reproduction, has a very aggressive behavior with individuals of its species.
Feeding the European hamster
The European hamster is a rodent with a high capacity to adapt due to its eating habits, which has helped it associate with urbanized spaces. It is an animal that usually carries food on its cheeks, to store food in the burrow, mainly for the months of hibernation.
It is mainly herbivorous, of a granivorous type, however, depending on the availability of food and season, it canchange to an omnivorous diet . Among the foods consumed by the European hamster we find:
- Seeds or grains
- Estate
- Herbs
- Fruits
- Legumes
- Insects
- Larvae
Discover other herbivorous animals: definition, types and examples in the following article on our site that we present to you.
European Hamster Breeding
This rodent has a high reproduction, since the season can start from March to May, and last until August. During this time, a female can have up to three litters.
When the female comes into heat, to indicate to the male her disposition, runs in the shape of a figure eightSaid male chases her and emits sounds that can increase in intensity. During the season, this hamster is very promiscuous, copulating several times until the female becomes pregnant.
A pregnancy lasts from 18 to 21 days, after which between 3 and 7 offspring are born, blind and totally dependent on the care of the mother, who nurses them for about 30 days. A female can become pregnant again while she has not yet weaned her newborns
Conservation status of the European hamster
The European hamster was for a time considered a pest in certain regions, because it caused agricultural damage. However, its status has changed drastically and it is considered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to be critically endangered
The IUCN itself reports the European hamster as extinct or extirpated in localities in certain countries, which, among others, include:
- Austria.
- Germany.
- Belgium.
- France.
- Poland.
- Russia.
- Switzerland: Declared extinct.
The situation of this rodent has been complex and the causes of its dramatic decline need to be specified in detail. However, it is estimated that the transformation of the habitat for the development of monocultures, the climate change, the direct hunting, the use of pesticides and the fur trade of this animal, have come together for its current serious situation.
Among the conservation measures, the promotion of crop diversification by farmers, reduction of the use of pesticides, as well as the reintroduction in certain regions stand out.
