Phodopus campbelli

Campbell's dwarf hamster (Phodopus campbelli) is a species of hamster in the genus Phodopus. It was given its common name by Oldfield Thomas in honour of Charles William Campbell, who collected the first specimen in Mongolia on July 1, 1902. It is distinguished from the closely related Djungarian hamster as it has smaller ears and no dark fur on its crown. Campbell's dwarf hamster typically has a narrow dorsal stripe compared to the Djungarian hamster and grey fur on the stomach. This hamster may be raised in captivity and kept as a small pet. In the wild, the breeding season for Campbell's dwarf hamster varies by location. For example, the breeding season begins towards the middle of April in Tuva and towards the end of April in Mongolia. However, in captivity, there is no fixed breeding season and they can breed frequently throughout the year. Females are usually sexually mature at two months of age and the gestation period is typically 20 days. Campbell's dwarf hamster is crepuscular, along with all species of Phodopus and is active throughout the year. Campbell's dwarf hamsters are omnivores, and so feed on both plant and insect material. Campbell's dwarf hamster inhabits burrows with four to six horizontal and vertical tunnels in the steppes and semi deserts of central Asia, the Altai mountains, autonomous areas of Tuva and the Hebei province in northeastern China. This hamster is listed as of Least Concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It is native to China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russian Federation. The binomial name of Campbell's dwarf hamster is Phodopus campbelli. This species is the type species of Cricetiscus (named by Thomas in 1917, and now considered a synonym of Phodopus), and is named after C. W. Campbell, who first collected it on July 1, 1902, in Inner Mongolia. Type locality was the village Shaborte in Mongolia. This locality has puzzled later writers and was believed to be a general Mongolian word for a dry lake, and therefore with no specific coordinates. However, in the reprint of C. W. Campbell's book 'Travels in Mongolia' it is clear that Shaborte is an actual village on the route followed through Mongolia. Thomas described the type specimen in 1905 as Cricetulus campbelli. Synonyms for this species are Phodopus crepidatus and Phodopus tuvinicus. Common names have been applied to Campbell's dwarf hamster, including the striped hairy-footed hamster, the Djungarian hamster, the Siberian hamster, and Campbell's hamster. Campbell's dwarf hamster is commonly confused with the Djungarian hamster (Phodopus sungorus) due to some of the common names, such as the 'Siberian hamster' also being used to describe the Djungarian hamster. American biologist Ned Hollister described a subspecies in 1912: The size of Campbell's dwarf hamster varies depending on its location. For example, eight wild specimens examined from Mongolia showed an average head and body length of 80 mm (3.1 in), an average hind foot length of 13.5 mm (0.53 in) long, with a tail length of 5 mm (0.20 in). In captivity, they are proportionally larger, as commercial pet food and fruits provide more nutrition than food found commonly in the wild. The lips and cheeks have white fur and the rest of the fur around the face can be either grey or brown. A dark and narrow dorsal stripe runs along the center of the back from the nape of the neck to about 2.5 cm (0.98 in) above the tail. The surface of the hands and feet are white to ensure the animal stays warm in colder climates in countries such as Mongolia. In both the wild and captivity, Campbell's dwarf hamsters scent-mark around their territories using Harderian glands, skin glands located behind the ears. They use urine and feces for communication.