Golden hamster
Species of rodent / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The golden hamster or Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) is a rodent belonging to the hamster subfamily, Cricetinae.[2] 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.[1] Thus, wild golden hamsters are now considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.[3] 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.
Golden hamster | |
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A female pet hamster | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Rodentia |
Family: | Cricetidae |
Subfamily: | Cricetinae |
Genus: | Mesocricetus |
Species: | M. auratus |
Binomial name | |
Mesocricetus auratus Waterhouse, 1839 | |
Synonyms | |
Cricetus auratus |
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.