---
title: "What the sources say about the Golden Hamster | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "49 claims from the Golden Hamster profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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---

# What the sources say about the Golden Hamster (*Mesocricetus auratus*)

> 49 claims from the Golden Hamster profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Golden Hamster](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/golden-hamster/)

## Mesocricetus auratus (golden hamster). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Mesocricetus_auratus/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| burrower | Referring to a burrowing life-style or behavior, specialized for digging or burrowing. (note: tagline) |
| with reports from eastern Turkey | Golden hamsters have also been reported in areas of Eastern Turkey. (note: stats.habitat) |
| pets and lab animals worldwide | Golden hamsters are ubiquitous worldwide as pets and research animals. (note: stats.habitat) |
| Seeds, grains, nuts and insects | Golden hamsters are omnivorous, feeding on seeds, nuts, and insects (note: stats.diet; grains from 'seeds, grains, and nuts') |
| A 16-day pregnancy, the shortest among eutherian (placental) mammals | Golden hamsters have a gestation period of 16 days, the shortest gestation period among eutherian mammals. (note: stats.superpower; 'placental' glosses eutherian) |
| An adult golden hamster weighs 100 to 125 g | adult mass ranging from 100 to 125 g |
| is about 13 to 13.5 cm long | Range length 13 to 13.5 cm |
| Its pregnancy lasts 16 days, the shortest among eutherian mammals. | Golden hamsters have a gestation period of 16 days, the shortest gestation period among eutherian mammals. |
| A birth brings 8 to 12 young, born with their eyes closed. | during which 8 to 12 young are born. The young are altricial at birth, born with their eyes closed. |
| They open them at 12 to 14 days and are weaned at 19 to 21 days. | They first open their eyes at 12 to 14 days of age. Weaning occurs at 19 to 21 days |
| Females are sexually mature at 26 to 30 days on average, males at 42 days. | Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female) 26-30 days Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male) 42 days |
| In the wild, a golden hamster lives 1.5 to 2 years on average. | Golden hamsters have relatively short life spans, 1.5 to 2 years on average. (note: wild: ADW 'Typical lifespan Status: wild 1.5 to 2 years') |
| In captivity a typical life is 2 to 2.5 years | Typical lifespan Status: captivity 2 to 2.5 years |
| Wild golden hamsters live mainly on the Aleppo plateau in Syria, with reports from eastern Turkey. | The majority of the species' range is encompassed by the Aleppinian plateau in Syria. Golden hamsters have also been reported in areas of Eastern Turkey. (note: Aleppinian plateau = Aleppo plateau) |
| Golden hamsters are solitary and highly territorial, and they eat seeds, nuts and insects, caching food in the burrow. | Golden hamsters are solitary and highly territorial. (note: diet in stats claim; caching: 'stores or caches food' / 'gathering food, which they cache in their burrows') |
| caching food in the burrow | They spend most of the night gathering food, which they cache in their burrows. |
| They are aggressive toward each other except when mating. | They are highly aggressive toward conspecifics except when mating. |
| Teeth chattering, a sign of aggression, was recorded in 92 percent of male-to-male meetings. | Teeth chattering behavior is a sign of aggression. It has been recorded in 92% of male to male interactions observed |
| Foxes, mustelids, birds of prey and snakes are among its predators | Golden hamsters serve as a food source for many different predators, including foxes, mustelids, birds of prey, and snakes. |
| it avoids them by sheltering in its burrow and staying alert. | Golden hamsters avoid predation by seeking shelter in their burrows and through vigilance. |
| Animal Diversity Web says wild populations are restricted to a small area of the Middle East | Wild populations are restricted to a small area of the Middle East. |
| describes wild golden hamsters as crop pests | Golden hamsters are considered agricultural pests in the wild. |
| Because golden hamsters are widely used as pets and research animals, it says the species is in no danger of dying out fully. The wild populations are the ones under threat. | Because of the wide use of golden hamsters as pets and research animals, the species is in no danger of becoming fully extinct, but wild populations are under threat. |
| Not in the wild, where they live alone. | Golden hamsters are solitary and highly territorial. |
| Communication is mostly by scent: a hamster rubs scent glands on its flanks against surfaces, and the marks can carry information such as kinship. | Golden hamsters communicate mainly by scent marking |
| The closest measurement between two occupied wild burrows was 118 m. | The closest measurement between occupied golden hamster burrows in the wild was 118 m. |
| The mother raises her litter alone, and she may cut its size by cannibalism. | The mother alone cares for the young. In some situations, the mother may reduce the size of her litter through cannibalism. |
| in the wild this is likely a response to scarce resources, while in a cage it is often a reaction to a disturbance caused by people. | In the wild, this is likely a strategy employed in times of limited resources, but in captivity, cannibalism is often a response to some sort of anthropogenic disturbance. |
| tags: omnivore | Golden hamsters are omnivorous, feeding on seeds, nuts, and insects (note: task #976; replaces frugivore) |
| the fastest pregnancy of any placental mammal: 16 days from mating to birth | Golden hamsters have a gestation period of 16 days, the shortest gestation period among eutherian mammals. (note: vibe.reason, task #976) |

## AnAge entry for Mesocricetus auratus. Human Ageing Genomic Resources, AnAge database.

https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Mesocricetus_auratus

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A 105 g Syrian burrower | Adult weight 105 g (note: tagline; 'Syrian' from the Aleppo range, burrower from ADW fossorial) |
| A database of animal ageing gives an average adult weight of 105 g. | Adult weight 105 g (note: listed under 'Life history traits (averages)') |
| the ageing database's maximum for captivity is 3.9 years. | Maximum longevity 3.9 years (captivity) |

## Gattermann et al. (2008). Golden hamsters are nocturnal in captivity but diurnal in nature. Biology Letters.

https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2008.0066

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| keeps night hours in the lab | Owing to the extremely consistent nocturnal patterns of activity shown by golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) in the laboratory (note: tagline) |
| wild females were active almost only by day | female hamsters in the wild were almost exclusively diurnal (note: tagline; 'almost only by day' for 'almost exclusively diurnal') |
| In the laboratory, the golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) keeps such consistent nocturnal hours that it became a prime model animal for studying circadian rhythms | Owing to the extremely consistent nocturnal patterns of activity shown by golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) in the laboratory, this species is a prime model for studying the mechanisms controlling circadian rhythms. (note: 'such ... that' renders the source's 'Owing to'; circadian gloss is a definition) |
| Female hamsters in the wild were almost exclusively diurnal, which means active by day. Lab hamsters are nocturnal. | In contrast to laboratory data, we discovered that female hamsters in the wild were almost exclusively diurnal. (note: 'which means active by day' glosses diurnal; lab nocturnality from 'extremely consistent nocturnal patterns ... in the laboratory') |
| Lab versus wild. | In contrast to laboratory data, we discovered that female hamsters in the wild were almost exclusively diurnal. (note: blockquote lead-in; the block keeps 'almost exclusively') |
| Lab and wild hamsters are the same species, but a result from one may not hold for the other. | The differences between laboratory and field results (note: framing sentence) |

## Gattermann et al. (2001). Notes on the current distribution and the ecology of wild golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus). Journal of Zoology.

https://doi.org/10.1017/s0952836901000851

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Farm fields around Aleppo in northern Syria | Most burrows were found on agricultural fields preferentially on leguminous cultures. (note: stats.habitat; Aleppo and northern Syria from 'near Aleppo' and 'northern Syria') |
| A field survey near Aleppo found most burrows on farm fields, especially in legume crops. | Most burrows were found on agricultural fields preferentially on leguminous cultures. |
| Burrows were 36 to 106 cm deep | Burrow depths ranged from 36 to 106 cm (mean 65 cm). |
| with one vertical entrance leading to a nesting chamber and at least one food chamber. | Their structure was simple, consisting of a single vertical entrance (gravity pipe) that proceeded to a nesting chamber and at least one additional food chamber. |
| None of the inhabited burrows held more than one adult. | None of the inhabited burrows contained more than one adult. |
| On two expeditions, in September 1997 and March 1999, researchers caught six females and seven males near Aleppo, and one pregnant female gave birth to six pups. | Two expeditions were carried out during September 1997 and March 1999 to confirm the current existence of Mesocricetus auratus in northern Syria. Six females and seven males were caught at different sites near Aleppo. One female was pregnant and gave birth to six pups. |
| To confirm that the species still lived wild in northern Syria. | Two expeditions were carried out during September 1997 and March 1999 to confirm the current existence of Mesocricetus auratus in northern Syria. |
| All 19 hamsters were moved to Germany, where they and three wild hamsters from the University of Aleppo founded a new breeding stock. | All 19 golden hamsters were transferred to Germany and, together with three wild individuals supplied by the University of Aleppo, form a new breeding stock. |

## Kennerley & Middleton (2022). Mesocricetus auratus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T13219A107411865.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2022-1.rlts.t13219a107411865.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Endangered | IUCN Red List category: Endangered (EN). (note: stats.conservationStatus) |
| The Red List rates the species Endangered. | IUCN Red List category: Endangered (EN). |