Mouse-like hamster

Mouse hamster

The mouse hamster ( Calomyscus ) are a genus of mice -like, which is common in West Asia. With hamsters they have nothing in common in appearance, but are perhaps related to this. The assignment of this genus is still largely unclear.

The following six types are distinguished:

• Afghan mouse hamster Calomyscus mystax Kashkarov 1925, northern Afghanistan, northeastern Iran, southern Turkmenistan
• Urartu mouse hamster Calomyscus urartensis Vorontsov & Kartavtseva 1979 Iranian part of the Caucasus
• Real mouse hamster Calomyscus bailwardi Thomas 1905, Central Iran
• Tsolov mouse hamster Calomyscus tsolovi Peshev 1991, southwestern Syria
• Baloch mouse hamster Calomyscus baluchi Thomas 1920, Balochistan
• Hotson mouse hamster Calomyscus hotsoni Thomas 1920, southwestern Pakistan

Sometimes, however, all mouse hamster a single species are attributed, which is then called Calomyscus bailwardi.

Mouse hamster look like a mouse. They have a head -body length from seven to nine inches, added eight to ten inches cock. You are oberseits sand or gray-brown and white colored undersides. Note the large ears.

Habitat are both semi-deserts and steppes and forests at altitudes 400-3500 m. Mouse Hamsters are nocturnal and feed on seeds and other plant material. During the day they hide in burrows. Since they can not dig themselves well, they often use abandoned burrows of other animals, such as rats of racing.

The systematic position of the mouse hamster is unclear. Most similar they see the American Weißfußmäusen belonging to the Neuweltmäusen. The similarities are so numerous that the mouse hamsters were asked by some zoologists have already been to the Neuweltmäusen what they would do to the single Old World representatives of this family circle. Because of the characteristics of the bit, but is a position near the hamster likely. In most classification systems the mouse hamster standing isolated and as a separate subfamily or family ( Calomyscidae ) is considered.