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[[File:Hamster.jpg|right|thumb|A hamster, specifically a dwarf hamster]]<br />
'''Hamsters''' are [[rodent]]s (order ''Rodentia'') belonging to the subfamily '''''Cricetinae''''' of the family '''''Cricetidae''''', which includes New World rats and mice.<br />
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Hamsters are more crepuscular than nocturnal and, in the wild, remain underground during the day to avoid being caught by predators. They feed primarily on seeds, fruits, and vegetation, and will occasionally eat burrowing insects. Physically, they are stout-bodied with distinguishing features that include elongated cheek pouches extending to their shoulders, which they use to carry food back to their burrows, as well as a short tail and fur-covered feet.<br />
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== Etymology ==<br />
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The name "hamster" is a loanword from the German, which itself derives from earlier Middle High German ''hamastra''. It is possibly related to Old Church Slavonic ''khomestoru'', which is either a blend of the root of Russian хомяк (''khomyak'') "hamster" and a Baltic word (cf. Lithuanian ''staras'' "hamster"); or of Persian origin (cf. Av ''hamaēstar'' "oppressor"). The collective noun for a group of hamsters is "horde". In German, the verb "hamstern" is derived from "Hamster", which means "Hoarding".<br />
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== Overview ==<br />
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The hamster subfamily contains 19 [[species]] classified in 7 [[W:genus|genera]], although the Kam and Ladakh dwarf hamsters of the genus ''Urocricetus'' and the grey dwarf hamster (''Nothocricetulus migratorius'') belong in separate genera, are classified under ''Cricetulus''. The best-known species of hamster is the [[W:Golden hamster|golden or Syrian hamster]] (''Mesocricetus auratus''), which is the type most commonly kept as a [[pet]]. There are numerous golden hamster variations, including long-haired varieties and different colors.<br />
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Other hamster species commonly kept as pets are the three species of '''dwarf hamster''', [[W:Campbell's dwarf hamster|Campbell's dwarf hamster]] (''Phodopus campbelli''), the [[W:winter white dwarf hamster|winter white dwarf hamster]] (''Phodopus sungorus'') and the [[W:Roborovski dwarf hamster|Roborovski dwarf hamster]] (''Phodopus roborovskii''), which is the smallest species.<br />
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The largest and most endangered species of hamster is the [[W:European hamster|European or common hamster]] (''Cricetus cricetus'').<br />
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The alternate spelling ''hampster'' has sometimes been used since the hampsterdance website became popular in 1999, which later resulted in the 2001 novelty hit ''[[The Hampster Dance]]'' by Hampton the Hampster.<br />
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== Species ==<br />
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* Mongolian hamster<br />
* Eversmann's hamster<br />
* Gansu hamster<br />
* Chinese striped hamster<br />
* Chinese hamster<br />
* Long-tailed dwarf hamster<br />
* Sokolov's dwarf hamster<br />
* European hamster<br />
* Golden hamster<br />
* Turkish hamster<br />
* Romanian hamster<br />
* Ciscaucasian hamster<br />
* Grey dwarf hamster<br />
* Campbell's dwarf hamster<br />
* Roborovski dwarf hamster<br />
* Winter white dwarf hamster<br />
* Greater long-tailed hamster<br />
* Tibetan dwarf hamster<br />
* Kam dwarf hamster<br />
* Lama dwarf hamster<br />
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== See also ==<br />
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* [[W:hamster|Hamster]] on[[ Wikipedia]]<br />
* [[:Category:Hamster characters|Hamster characters]]<br />
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{{species-stub}}<br />
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[[Category:Rodent species]]<br />
[[it:Criceto]]<br />
[[ru:Хомяки]]</div>2601:188:C601:B410:7041:B60D:BCD6:B142