Long-tailed dwarf hamster facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Long-tailed dwarf hamster |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Cricetulus
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| Species: |
longicaudatus
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The long-tailed dwarf hamster (Cricetulus longicaudatus) is a small, furry rodent that belongs to the hamster family. It's known for its tail, which is quite long for a dwarf hamster! You can find these hamsters living in parts of China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Russia.
What Does it Look Like?
The long-tailed dwarf hamster is a tiny creature. Its body, from head to tail, measures about 8.5 to 13.5 centimeters (about 3 to 5 inches). Its tail is special because it's at least one-third as long as its body! These hamsters usually weigh between 15 and 50 grams (about 0.5 to 1.7 ounces).
Their fur can be a pale sandy brown or a dark grayish brown on their back. Their belly is grayish-white. Each hair on their belly has a dark base, a gray middle, and a white tip. There's a clear line on their sides where the dark back fur meets the light belly fur. Their ears are dark with light edges, and the tops of their feet are white. The tail is thin, dark on top, and white underneath.
Where Does it Live?
This hamster lives in northern and central China, western and central Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and parts of Russia. You can find them in dry areas with bushes, dry forests, and rocky steppes. They also live in the foothills and southern slopes of mountains, up to about 1,900 meters (6,200 feet) high.
They are especially common in "piedmont semidesert." This is a type of desert grassland with different shrubs and juicy plants. They also live in savannah areas, which have scattered drought-resistant trees.
Daily Life and Reproduction
Long-tailed dwarf hamsters are nocturnal, meaning they are active at night. During the day, they rest and sleep. They mostly eat seeds, but they also enjoy insects.
These hamsters dig shallow tunnels and burrows under large rocks. They create special rooms in their burrows to store extra food. This stored food helps them get through the winter. Sometimes, they even use burrows that other animals have left behind. They add side-passages that lead to nesting rooms lined with grass.
Breeding usually starts in March or April. During the summer, a mother hamster can have two or more litters of babies. Each litter can have up to nine young hamsters.
Is it Safe?
The long-tailed dwarf hamster lives across a very large area and has many individuals. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has looked at its situation. They have decided that this hamster is a species of "least concern". This means it is not currently in danger of disappearing.
Even though its home might get drier in the future due to drought, and livestock might graze more in its habitat, these issues are not expected to harm the hamsters too much. No major threats to this species have been found.
