The Lama dwarf hamster (''Cricetulus lama'') is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are roden ...

in the family

Cricetidae The Cricetidae are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes true hamsters, voles, lemmings, muskrats, and New World rats and mice. At almost 608 species, it is the second-largest family of mammals, a ...

. It is found only in the mountains of western China where it inhabits grassland, shrubby marshes and steppes. Although it has a limited range, the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natur ...

has assessed its conservation status as being of "

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. Th ...

Description

The Lama dwarf hamster has a head-and-body length of between and a tail length of . It is very similar in appearance to the

Chinese striped hamster The Chinese striped hamster (''Cricetulus barabensis''), also known as the striped dwarf hamster, is a species of hamster. It is distributed across Northern Asia, from southern Siberia through Mongolia and northeastern China to northern North K ...

(''Cricetulus barabensis''), but is rather smaller, has a shorter tail and lacks the blackish markings on the dorsal fur and upper thighs that that species often has. The dorsal fur is dark greyish-brown, the underparts are greyish white and there is a sharp dividing line where the two colours meet. The tail is thick and well-covered with guard hairs, having a dark stripe at the top and otherwise being white, with a wholly white tip.

Distribution and habitat

The Lama dwarf hamster is endemic to western China where it is found in the

Tibet Autonomous Region The Tibet Autonomous Region or Xizang Autonomous Region, often shortened to Tibet or Xizang, is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China in Southwest China. It was overlayed on the traditional Tibetan regions of ...

. It is a mountain species and is found at high altitudes. Its typical habitat is upland grasslands, shrubby marshes and open

steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the temperate grasslan ...

Behaviour

The behaviour of the Lama dwarf hamster has been little studied but it is believed to be similar to that of the Chinese striped hamster, in fact some authorities consider the Lama dwarf hamster to be a subspecies of ''C. barabensis''. It lives in a burrow, ventures out to forage for seeds, carries some back to the burrow to store in specially constructed chambers and breeds in the summer.

Status

The Lama dwarf hamster has a limited range but is presumed to have a large total population. The population trend is unknown, but no particular threats have been identified and it may be present in some protected areas. The

has therefore assessed the hamster's conservation status as being of "

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q849883 Cricetulus Endemic fauna of China Rodents of China Mammals described in 1905