---
title: "Hamster"
description: "Cricetus cricetus — Zoogdieren. The European hamster (Cricetus cricetus), also known as the common hamster, is the only living species of hamster in the genus Cricetus."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/nl/animal/eurasian-hamster
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Hamster

> Cricetus cricetus — Zoogdieren. The European hamster (Cricetus cricetus), also known as the common hamster, is the only living species of hamster in the genus Cricetus.

- Scientific name: *Cricetus cricetus*
- Category: `mammals` (Zoogdieren)
- Habitats: `grassland` (Weiden en velden)
- iNaturalist observations: 1811
- Wikidata: [Q208077](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q208077)
- iNaturalist taxon: [45836](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/45836)

## Names

- en: Eurasian Hamster
- de: Feldhamster
- es: Hámster europeo
- fr: Grand Hamster
- nl: Hamster
- pt: Hamster-comum
- pl: Chomik europejski

## Countries with the most observations

AT (663), RU (315), DE (158), CZ (91), PL (85), UA (56), RO (34), HU (23), SK (20), KZ (17), HR (16)

## Summary

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: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_hamster

## Photo

![Hamster](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/eurasian-hamster/medium.jpg)

Photo: Cristina Hutchison · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/395305058

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/eurasian-hamster?lang=nl` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).