Mesocricetus is a genus of Old World hamsters, including the Syrian or golden hamster, the first hamster to be introduced as a domestic pet, and still the most popular species of hamster for that purpose.
| Mesocricetus Temporal range: Early Pliocene - Recent
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| Mesocricetus auratus | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Subfamily: | Cricetinae |
| Genus: | Mesocricetus Nehring, 1894 |
| Type species | |
| Cricetus nigricans[1] Brandt, 1832 (= Cricetus raddei Nehring, 1894)
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| Species | |
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Mesocricetus auratus | |
Recent research has shown that, unlike almost all other land mammals studied, all species of this genus lack the capacity for color vision.[2]
Species
edit- Mesocricetus auratus: Golden hamster or Syrian hamster
- Mesocricetus brandti: Turkish hamster or Brandt's hamster
- Mesocricetus newtoni: Romanian hamster or Dobrudja hamster
- Mesocricetus raddei: Ciscaucasian hamster
Notes
edit- ^ Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M., eds. (2005). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- ^ Williams, Gary A. (2008). "Absence of functional short-wavelength sensitive cone pigments in hamsters (Mesocricetus)". Journal of Comparative Physiology A. 194: 429–439. doi:10.1007/s00359-008-0316-4.
References
edit- http://www.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/mammalia/rodentia/cricetidae/mesocricetus/
- Williams, G. A.; Jacobs, G. H. (2008). "Absence of functional short-wavelength sensitive cone pigments in hamsters (Mesocricetus)". Journal of Comparative Physiology A. doi:10.1007/s00359-008-0316-4.
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