European hamster: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the European hamster lives – recorded in 12 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Cricetus cricetus
Group	Mice, rats & other rodents
Status	Critically endangered (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	12 countries
Continents	Europe
Class	Mammal
Order	Rodentia
Family	Cricetidae

Where does the European hamster live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the European hamster in 12 countries and territories across Europe. In Russia it is listed as introduced (GRIIS checklists via GBIF).

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the European hamster endangered?

The European hamster’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Critically endangered” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the European hamster?

The European hamster (Cricetus cricetus) is a mammal in the order Rodentia and the family Cricetidae, genus Cricetus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the European hamster

The European hamster (Cricetus cricetus), also known as the common hamster, is the only living species of hamster in the genus Cricetus. It is native to grassland and similar habitats in a large part of Eurasia, extending from Belgium to Xinjiang in China. Historically, it was considered a farmland pest and had been trapped for its fur. Its population has declined drastically in recent years and is now considered critically endangered. The main threats to the species are thought to be intensive agriculture, habitat destruction, and persecution by farmers.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article European hamster (revision 1372794447), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q208077 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).