Unlike its domestic relative the Syrian hamster, this wild European species grows considerably larger and is listed as critically endangered across much of its original range.
From Common Hamster
In the wild its coat turns white in winter, which is rare among rodents.
From Striped Desert Hamster
It turns white in winter: it is one of very few rodents with a seasonal colour moult, and in captivity that change does not happen because artificial lighting stops it perceiving the shortening days.
From Striped Desert Hamster
In the wild the males take an active part in the birth and care of the young, which is exceptional among rodents: they help to clean them and keep them warm while the female feeds.
From Striped Desert Hamster
The smallest hamster kept as a pet: some 8 cm and 25 grams.
From Desert Hamster
It is the smallest hamster in the world: an adult sits comfortably in the palm of a hand.
From Desert Hamster
In a single night it can cover several kilometres on an exercise wheel, a distance consistent with how far it walks in the desert looking for seeds.
From Desert Hamster
Almost every domestic golden hamster in the world descends from a single female with twelve young caught at Aleppo in 1930 by the zoologist Israel Aharoni.
From Golden Hamster

Ecosystems