We are
happy to introduce a new member of Darwin Museum collection – a taxidermied European
hamster (Cricetus cricetus Linnaeus, 1758).
This cute
little fellow looks cozy, hibernating in its nest. During winter hibernation it
occasionally wakes up to feed from the storage chambers (containing up to 50
kg of food), where it transports food in its elastic cheek pouches. The usual diet
consists of seeds, legumes, root vegetables, grasses, insects, and even small
vertebrates (mice, reptiles and amphibians). By Autumn hamster switches to a vegetable
only diet, as vegetables and seeds can easily be stored.
The
European hamster (Cricetus cricetus), also known as the Eurasian hamster,
black-bellied hamster or common hamster - the only species of the genus
Cricetus. It’s considered to be the biggest of the Cricetinae Subfamily, growing
up to 35 cm long and weighing on average about 700 g. The tail is furred and short.
External ears are rather short, covered with darkish hair. The fur is both dense
and soft – brown with white patches on the back and black on the belly. The
hamster has wide paws with well developed claws.
The
European hamster typically lives in low-lying farmland with soft loam or loess
soils, although it may also inhabit meadows, gardens or hedges. It is found
from Belgium in the west, to Altai, Russia in the east. It is a nocturnal or
crepuscular species, spending days in a complex burrow system up to 8 m long.
17 January 2024
Re-exposition of the display case “Wetland complex of Losiny Island”
25 December 2023
Gifts to the museum: drawings by M. D. Ezuchevsky and a screen made according to the artist’s sketch
11 December 2023
The exhibition “Big Portrait for Small Company” from the collection of the State Darwin Museum opened in China
1 December 2023
“Image/s of the North in Russian and European art” Interdisciplinary scientific conference