Abstract
Cricetus cricetus (Linnaeus, 1758) is a medium-sized cricetid commonly called the common hamster. A sexually dimorphic rodent of unique coloration with robust body, blunt head, short legs, and rudimentary tail, it is the largest hamster and the only species in the genus Cricetus.
It is easily recognizable by a color pattern of contrasting dark and light areas. Because its distribution extends from northwestern Europe to eastern China across 5,500 km of low altitude agricultural land, steppe, and forest steppe, the frequently used term European hamster is misleading.
Both geographic range and relative abundance started declining in the 1960s on the western edge of its distribution, and now C. cricetus is protected by the Bern Convention and the Fauna-Flora-Habitats Directives. (C) 2020 American Society of Mammalogists.