Greater Long-tailed Hamster

Tscherskia triton

Did you know that there are literally dozens of species of Hamsters, not just the ones that we keep as pets? Today's animal is one of the wild ones. It is considered to be a "Rat-like Hamster" and is actually considered to be quite the nuisance!

Meet the Greater Long-tailed Hamster, a rodent species that is found in China, North and South Korea, and parts of eastern Russia. They live in open areas near water, including grasslands, marshlands, and agricultural fields. The Hamsters that live near crops and rice fields are considered to be pests, as they will eagerly go after the grains and seeds. All members of the species, regardless of what they eat, stockpile food for the winter, sometimes up to 20lbs of it!

Greater Long-tailed Hamsters have a very short lifespan-- only about a year. But during that year they do their very best to carry on their genetic line. They can produce three litters of up to 10 offspring in only a few months time!

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : East Asia
Size : Weight up to 185g

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Rodentia
Family : Cricetidae -- Genus : Tscherskia -- Species : T. triton