Stats

Lifespan: 2-3 yrs
Size: Small
Diet: Omnivore
Activity: Crepuscular
Social: Solitary
Biome: Desert
Range: Middle East
Movement: Burrowing
Breeding: Live Birth
Defense: Burrowing
Status: Endangered

About

A small, stout rodent native to arid regions of northern Syria and southern Turkey, famous for cheek pouches that can stretch nearly to its hips when stuffed with food. Almost every pet Syrian hamster alive today descends from a single litter captured near Aleppo in 1930.

Life cycle

1.
newborn pup
A blind, hairless pup nurses in the nest and is unable to regulate its own warmth.
2.
juvenile
A weaned juvenile is fully furred, leaves the nest, and begins foraging on solid food.
3.
adult
Fully grown and self-sufficient.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Cricetidae
Genus: Mesocricetus
Species: Mesocricetus auratus