Cricetulus kamensis

Kangzang hamster belongs to the subfamily Cricetinae. Its former Chinese name was Tibetan hamster. Its taxonomic status is stable, but there are many subspecies. It was later revised by Wang Song and Zheng Changlin (1973) to have 4 subspecies in China. It is a plateau species, living in alpine shrubs and meadows.

Little is known about the biological data of this species. Tibetan hamsters are endemic to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. They live in caves with simple tunnel structures, single tunnels, and few branches. There is one entrance, open and unblocked, with a diameter of about 4.5~5cm. The depth of the cave is generally about 50cm, and there are nests and warehouses in the cave. Sometimes they also use abandoned caves of other rodents and marmots or make nests in cracks in the soil and rocks. They are quite adaptable to the harsh conditions of the plateau. They are active day and night. They are not afraid of people.

Tibetan hamsters mainly feed on grains and grass seeds, and also prey on small animals such as insects. They do not hibernate, and mainly store food in winter. Their natural enemies mainly include pit vipers, stoats, weasels, weasels, eagles, eagles, cats, etc.

The breeding season of Tibetan hamsters is between May and August, with the peak of breeding in June and July. There are 5 to 10 pups per litter, with 7 to 8 being the most common.

Listed in the 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species ver 3.1 - Least Concern (LC).

It is endemic to China. It is distributed in Xinjiang, Tibet, Qinghai and northwest Gansu.

Tibetan hamsters live in high mountain plateaus, river valley shrubs and swamp meadows at an altitude of 3400-3900 meters, and choose an environment dominated by Polygonaceae, Leguminosae and Cyperaceae plants as their habitat.

The individual is medium-sized. The body length is 88-120mm. The tail is 51-64mm longer, about 45% of the body length. The back of the body is gray-black to brown-gray. The abdomen is white. The boundary between the back and the abdomen is wavy and not straight, which is the characteristic that distinguishes this species from other species. The back of the tail is gray-black, and the belly is gray-white. The teeth are no different from those of other hamsters, and the tooth row consists of two vertical rows.