7.

Romanian Hamster

Mesocricetus newtoni

French: Hamster de Newton / German: Rumaénischer Hamster / Spanish: Hamster de Rumania

Taxonomy. Cricetus newtoni Nehring, 1898, “Schumla [= Shumen] in Ostbulgarien [= eastern Bulgaria].”

In the past, M. newton: was considered a subspecies of M. brandi. It is characterized by color pattern and unique karyotype (2n = 38). Mesocricetus newton: and M. newtoni evidently share the most recent common ancestor. Monotypic.

Distribution. Lower Danube in N Bulgaria and SE Romania between Montana Province and Black Sea.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 135-160 mm, tail 17-24 mm; weight 60-130 g.

General form of the Romanian Hamster is like other species of Mesocricetus . Dorsal fur is light drab brown, washed gray and inconspicuously speckled with blackish hairs. Flanks are washed buff, and ventral side is whitish gray, with extensive brownish black transverse patch on chest. Snout around eyes is reddish brown, area between ears is dull brown, and nose tip is yellowish. Cheeks and shoulders are cream-buff, with an oblique blackish subauricular stripe. Females have 7-8 pairs of nipples. Skull and teeth are as in the Golden Hamster ( M. auratus).

Habitat. Natural grasslands, wheat and alfalfa fields, fallow land, vineyards, orchards, and vegetable gardens in open lowlands up to elevations of ¢.460 m.

Food and Feeding. The Romanian Hamster eats green plants, seeds, and tubers. Food is stored for winter, and caches contain up to 3 kg of plant material.

Breeding. Reproduction starts in April or May. Females have up to two litters in a season, with 2-16 young each. Sexual maturity is reached at ¢.50 days old.

Activity patterns. Romanian Hamsters are nocturnal and rarely seen during the day . They hibernate in October-March, but active individuals were observed in December and February. The Romanian Hamster excavates its own burrow system. Main entrance is frequently an almost vertical shaft that descends up to 50-60 cm (rarely 1-5 m) and curves abruptly to a horizontal plane. Tunnels have diameters of 5-6 cm. Burrow contains a nest chamber and cache.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. The Romanian Hamster has now a small distribution, but during Pleistocene and early Holocene it occupied much wider range in south-eastern Europe. The Romanian Hamster is threatened by agriculture and is listed in the red books of Bulgaria and Romania.

Bibliography. Neumann et al. (2006), Niethammer (1982b), Peshev et al. (2004), Popescu & Murariu (2001), Popov et al. (2007), Romanenko et al. (2007).