List of cricetines

European hamster (Cricetus cricetus)

Cricetinae is a subfamily of mammals in the rodent family Cricetidae, which in turn is part of the Myomorpha suborder in the order Rodentia. Members of this subfamily are called cricetines or hamsters. They are found in Europe and Asia, primarily in shrublands, grasslands, and deserts, though some species can be found in forests and wetlands. They range in size from the Roborovski dwarf hamster, at 7 cm (3 in) plus a 0.5 cm (0.2 in) tail, to the European hamster, at 32 cm (13 in) plus a 7 cm (3 in) tail. Cricetines generally eat shoots and seeds, though some also eat a variety of other vegetation, insects, and small vertebrates. No cricetines have population estimates, but the golden hamster is categorized as endangered, while the European hamster is categorized as critically endangered. Several hamster species, particularly the golden hamster, Chinese striped hamster, and dwarf hamsters have been domesticated as pets. ^[1]

The eighteen extant species of Cricetinae are divided into seven genera, ranging in size from one to six species. Several extinct prehistoric nesomyid species have been discovered, though due to ongoing research and discoveries, the exact number and categorization is not fixed. ^[2]

Conventions

IUCN Red List categories

Conservation status
EX	Extinct (0 species)
EW	Extinct in the wild (0 species)
CR	Critically endangered (1 species)
EN	Endangered (1 species)
VU	Vulnerable (1 species)
NT	Near threatened (1 species)
LC	Least concern (14 species)

The author citation for the species or genus is given after the scientific name; parentheses around the author citation indicate that this was not the original taxonomic placement. Conservation status codes listed follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Range maps are provided wherever possible; if a range map is not available, a description of the cricetine's range is provided. Ranges are based on the IUCN Red List for that species unless otherwise noted.

Classification

Cricetinae is a subfamily of the rodent family Cricetidae consisting of eighteen extant species in seven genera. These genera range in size from one to six species. This does not include hybrid species or extinct prehistoric species.

Subfamily Cricetinae

• Genus Allocricetulus (Mongolian hamsters): two species
• Genus Cansumys (Gansu hamster): one species
• Genus Cricetulus (ratlike hamsters): six species
• Genus Cricetus (European hamster): one species
• Genus Mesocricetus (golden hamsters): four species
• Genus Phodopus (dwarf hamsters): three species
• Genus Tscherskia (Greater long-tailed hamster): one species

Cricetinae [3] [4] Mesocricetus Phodopus Cricetulus Cansumys Tscherskia Allocricetulus Cricetus

Cricetines

The following classification is based on the taxonomy described by the reference work Mammal Species of the World (2005), with augmentation by generally accepted proposals made since using molecular phylogenetic analysis, as supported by both the IUCN and the American Society of Mammalogists. ^[5]

Genus Allocricetulus – Argiropulo, 1300 – two species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Eversmann's hamster	A. eversmanni (Brandt, 1859)	Central Asia	Size: 10–14 cm (4–6 in) long, plus 2–4 cm (1–2 in) tail [6] Habitat: Shrubland and grassland [7] Diet: Grains, beans, lentils, roots, and plant material, as well as insects and frogs [8]	LC  Unknown [7]
Mongolian hamster	A. curtatus (Allen, 1925)	East-central Asia	Size: 10–13 cm (4–5 in) long, plus 1–3 cm (0.4–1.2 in) tail [9] Habitat: Shrubland [10] Diet: Grains, beans, lentils, roots, and plant material, as well as insects and frogs [8]	LC  Unknown [10]

Genus Cansumys – Allen, 1928 – one species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Gansu hamster	C. canus Allen, 1928	Central China	Size: 12–14 cm (5–6 in) long, plus 9–11 cm (4 in) tail [9] Habitat: Forest [11] Diet: Leaves and grasses [11]	LC  Unknown [11]

Genus Cricetulus – A. Milne-Edwards, 1867 – six species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Chinese striped hamster	C. barabensis (Pallas, 1773)	Central and eastern Asia	Size: 7–13 cm (3–5 in) long, plus 1–4 cm (0.4–1.6 in) tail [6] Habitat: Shrubland and grassland [12] Diet: Shoots and seeds [13]	LC  Unknown [12]
Grey dwarf hamster	C. migratorius (Pallas, 1773)	Asia and eastern Europe	Size: 8–15 cm (3–6 in) long, plus 1–4 cm (0.4–1.6 in) tail [6] Habitat: Forest, shrubland, grassland, and desert [14] Diet: Shoots, seeds, and insects [13]	LC  Unknown [14]
Kam dwarf hamster	C. kamensis Satunin, 1903	Central China	Size: 8–12 cm (3–5 in) long, plus 3–7 cm (1–3 in) tail [9] Habitat: Grassland and inland wetlands [15] Diet: Shoots and seeds [13]	LC  Unknown [15]
Long-tailed dwarf hamster	C. longicaudatus (A. Milne-Edwards, 1867)	Central Asia	Size: 8–14 cm (3–6 in) long, plus 3–5 cm (1–2 in) tail [6] Habitat: Rocky areas [16] Diet: Shoots and seeds [13]	LC  Unknown [16]
Sokolov's dwarf hamster	C. sokolovi Orlov & Malygin, 1988	Mongolia and northern China	Size: 7–12 cm (3–5 in) long, plus 1–4 cm (0.4–1.6 in) tail [6] Habitat: Shrubland and desert [17] Diet: Shoots and seeds [13]	LC  Unknown [17]
Tibetan dwarf hamster	C. alticola Thomas, 1917	Western China	Size: 8–10 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 2–5 cm (1–2 in) tail [9] Habitat: Forest, shrubland, and grassland [18] Diet: Shoots and seeds [13]	LC  Unknown [18]

Genus Cricetus – Leske, 1779 – one species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
European hamster	C. cricetus (Linnaeus, 1758)	Europe and western and central Asia	Size: 16–32 cm (6–13 in) long, plus 2–7 cm (1–3 in) tail [6] Habitat: Shrubland and grassland [19] Diet: Grains, beans, lentils, roots, and plant material, as well as insects and frogs [20]	CR  Unknown [19]

Genus Mesocricetus – Nehring, 1898 – four species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Ciscaucasian hamster	M. raddei (Nehring, 1894)	Southwestern Russia	Size: 14–22 cm (6–9 in) long, plus 1–2 cm (0.4–0.8 in) tail [9] Habitat: Grassland [21] Diet: Omnivorous, including a variety of vegetation, seeds, fruit, insects, and small vertebrates [22]	LC  Unknown [21]
Golden hamster	M. auratus (Waterhouse, 1839)	Turkey and Syria	Size: 12–17 cm (5–7 in) long, plus 1–3 cm (0.4–1.2 in) tail [9] Habitat: Grassland [23] Diet: Omnivorous, including a variety of vegetation, seeds, fruit, insects, and small vertebrates [22]	EN  Unknown [23]
Romanian hamster	M. newtoni (Nehring, 1898)	Bulgaria and Romania	Size: 13–16 cm (5–6 in) long, plus 1–3 cm (0.4–1.2 in) tail [9] Habitat: Shrubland and grassland [24] Diet: Omnivorous, including a variety of vegetation, seeds, fruit, insects, and small vertebrates [22]	VU  Unknown [24]
Turkish hamster	M. brandti (Nehring, 1898)	Western Asia	Size: 13–20 cm (5–8 in) long, plus 1–4 cm (0.4–1.6 in) tail [9] Habitat: Shrubland and grassland [25] Diet: Omnivorous, including a variety of vegetation, seeds, fruit, insects, and small vertebrates [22]	NT  Unknown [25]

Genus Phodopus – Miller, 1910 – three species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Campbell's dwarf hamster	P. campbelli (Thomas, 1905)	East-central Asia	Size: 7–11 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 0.5–2 cm (0.2–0.8 in) tail [9] Habitat: Shrubland and desert [26] Diet: Seeds and plant material [27]	LC  Unknown [26]
Roborovski dwarf hamster	P. roborovskii (Satunin, 1903)	East-central Asia	Size: 7–8 cm (3 in) long, plus 0.5–2 cm (0.2–0.8 in) tail [9] Habitat: Desert and shrubland [28] Diet: Seeds and plant material [27]	LC  Unknown [28]
Winter white dwarf hamster	P. sungorus (Pallas, 1773)	Kazakhstan and southern Russia	Size: 7–9 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 0.5–1.5 cm (0.2–0.6 in) tail [9] Habitat: Shrubland and desert [29] Diet: Seeds and plant material [27]	LC  Unknown [29]

Genus Tscherskia – Ogniov, 1914 – one species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Greater long-tailed hamster	T. triton (De Winton, 1899)	Eastern Asia	Size: 14–22 cm (6–9 in) long, plus 6–11 cm (2–4 in) tail [9] Habitat: Inland wetlands [30] Diet: Seeds as well as shoots [13]	LC  Unknown [30]

References

1. Cole, Gretchen (February 21, 2022). "The Five Most Popular Hamster Breeds". PetMD. Chewy . Retrieved October 28, 2025.
2. "Fossilworks: Cricetinae". Paleobiology Database . University of Wisconsin–Madison. Archived from the original on November 27, 2024. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
3. Ivanova, N. G.; Kartavtseva, I. V.; Stefanova, V. N.; Ostromyshenskii, D. I.; Podgornaya, O. I. (2022). "Tandem Repeat Diversity in Two Closely Related Hamster Species—The Chinese Hamster (Cricetulus griseus) and Striped Hamster (Cricetulus barabensis)". Biomedicines. 10 (4): 925. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines10040925 .
4. Romanenko, S. A.; Volobouev, V. T.; Perelman, P. L.; Lebedev, V. S.; Serdukova, N. A.; Trifonov, V. A.; Biltueva, L. S.; Nie, W.; O'Brien, P. C. M.; Bulatova, N. Sh.; Ferguson-Smith, M. A.; Yang, F.; Graphodatsky, A. S. (2007). "Karyotype evolution and phylogenetic relationships of hamsters (Cricetidae, Muroidea, Rodentia) inferred from chromosomal painting and banding comparison". Chromosome Research: 283–297. doi:10.1007/s10577-007-1124-3.
5. Wilson; Reeder, pp. 1039-1045
6. Chernasky; Motis; Burgin, p. 221
7. Tsytsulina, K.; Formozov, N.; Sheftel, B. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Allocricetulus eversmanni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016 e.T875A115053494. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T875A22334164.en .
8. Nowak, p. 1421
9. Chernasky; Motis; Burgin, p. 220
10. Batsaikhan, N.; Avirmed, D.; Tinnin, D. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Allocricetulus curtatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016 e.T42640A115198489. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T42640A22334067.en .
11. Smith, A. T. (2016). "Cansumys canus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016 e.T3760A22379681. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T3760A22379681.en .
12. Batsaikhan, N.; Tinnin, D.; Shar, S.; Avirmed, D.; Usukhjargal, D. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Cricetulus barabensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016 e.T5524A115072992. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T5524A22391002.en .
13. Nowak, p. 1422
14. Kryštufek, B.; Bukhnikashvili, A.; Sozen, M.; Isfendiyaroglu, S. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Cricetulus migratorius". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016 e.T5528A115073390. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T5528A22391440.en .
15. Smith, A. T. (2016). "Cricetulus kamensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016 e.T5525A22391339. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T5525A22391339.en .
16. Batsaikhan, A.; Tinnin, D.; Lhagvasuren, B.; Sukhchuluun, G. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Cricetulus longicaudatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016 e.T5526A115073116. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T5526A22391246.en .
17. Batsaikhan, N.; Smith, A. T. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Cricetulus sokolovi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016 e.T5527A115073247. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T5527A22391689.en .
18. Molur, S. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Cricetulus alticola". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016 e.T5523A115072870. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T5523A22391166.en .
19. Banaszek, A.; Bogomolov, P.; Feoktistova, N.; La Haye, M.; Monecke, S.; Reiners, T. E.; Rusin, M.; Surov, A.; Weinhold, U.; Ziomek, J. (2020). "Cricetus cricetus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020 e.T5529A111875852. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T5529A111875852.en .
20. Nowak, p. 1420
21. Cassola, F. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Mesocricetus raddei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016 e.T13222A115111279. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T13222A22390311.en .
22. Nowak, p. 1423
23. Kennerley, R.; Middleton, K. (2022). "Mesocricetus auratus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2022 e.T13219A107411865. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T13219A107411865.en .
24. Nedyalkov, N.; Rusin, M. (2024). "Mesocricetus newtoni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2024 e.T13221A90688752. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2024-2.RLTS.T13221A90688752.en .
25. Yigit, N.; Kennerley, R. (2024). "Mesocricetus brandti". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2024 e.T13220A22390158. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2024-1.RLTS.T13220A22390158.en .
26. Cassola, F. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Phodopus campbelli". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016 e.T17035A115139470. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T17035A22354039.en .
27. Nowak, p. 1419
28. Cassola, F. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Phodopus roborovskii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016 e.T17036A115139633. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T17036A22353945.en .
29. Cassola, F. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Phodopus sungorus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016 e.T17037A115139908. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T17037A22354157.en .
30. Cassola, F. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Tscherskia triton". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016 e.T22432A115166449. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22432A22384113.en .

Sources

• Chernasky, Amy; Motis, Anna; Burgin, Connor, eds. (2023). All the Mammals of the World . Lynx Nature Books. ISBN   978-84-16728-66-4.
• Nowak, Ronald M. (1999). Walker's Mammals of the World. Vol. 2 (6th ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN   978-0-8018-5789-8.
• Musser, Guy G.; Carleton, Michael D. (2005). Wilson, Don E.; Reeder, DeeAnn M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World . Vol. 2 (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0.