Roborovski Hamster

Roborovski Hamsters

Phylum : Chordata
Class : Mammalia
Order : Rodentia
Family : Cricetidae
Genus : Phodopus
Species : P. roborovskii

Length : up to 3in (7.5cm)

IUCN Status : Least Concern

You might recognize this tiny rodent from your local pet store, but Roborovski Hamsters are actually native to the desert and steppe regions of Russia, Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan. Their small size (they are the smallest Hamsters) and efficient use of water has allowed them to live in these harsh, dry environments. They are also sometimes appropriately referred to as the Desert Hamster.

Roborovski Hamsters were first described by a Lt. Roborovski during an 1894 expedition. They were not fully studied until 1903, and were not really imported anywhere until the 1970s. In fact, these Hamsters didn't even appear in America until 1998!

White Faced Roborovski

While most captive hamsters are fed a vegetarian diet, wild Robos are actually omnivores, and occasionally eat insects and other bits of meat that they can find. They are crepuscular animals, and spend a great deal of time in underground burrows that they dig as far as 6 feet down!

Roborovski Hamsters can live up to three years in captivity, and have been bred to come in three different color variations - Agout (or wild), White Faced, and Platinum. They are relatively easy to breed; they reach sexual maturity at 6-8 weeks and a female can produce a litter every 4 weeks! Males can actually be kept with females after they give birth, as they will help care for the young. However, the females can become pregnant again almost immediately, so unless you want a massive colony of Hamsters, it is probably best to keep them apart. Interestingly, it seems that the Hamsters will actually stop breeding altogether once their colony reaches a specific size.

Roborovski Hamster

Roborovski Hamsters

Phylum : Chordata

Class : Mammalia

Order : Rodentia

Family : Cricetidae

Genus : Phodopus

Species : P. roborovskii



Length : up to 3in (7.5cm)



IUCN Status : Least Concern



You might recognize this tiny rodent from your local pet store, but Roborovski Hamsters are actually native to the desert and steppe regions of Russia, Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan. Their small size (they are the smallest Hamsters) and efficient use of water has allowed them to live in these harsh, dry environments. They are also sometimes appropriately referred to as the Desert Hamster.



Roborovski Hamsters were first described by a Lt. Roborovski during an 1894 expedition. They were not fully studied until 1903, and were not really imported anywhere until the 1970s. In fact, these Hamsters didn't even appear in America until 1998!

White Faced Roborovski

While most captive hamsters are fed a vegetarian diet, wild Robos are actually omnivores, and occasionally eat insects and other bits of meat that they can find. They are crepuscular animals, and spend a great deal of time in underground burrows that they dig as far as 6 feet down!



Roborovski Hamsters can live up to three years in captivity, and have been bred to come in three different color variations - Agout (or wild), White Faced, and Platinum. They are relatively easy to breed; they reach sexual maturity at 6-8 weeks and a female can produce a litter every 4 weeks! Males can actually be kept with females after they give birth, as they will help care for the young. However, the females can become pregnant again almost immediately, so unless you want a massive colony of Hamsters, it is probably best to keep them apart. Interestingly, it seems that the Hamsters will actually stop breeding altogether once their colony reaches a specific size.

Short-tailed Chinchilla

(Image Source)

Phylum : Chordata
Class : Mammalia
Order : Rodentia
Family : Chinchillidae
Genus : Chinchilla 
Species : chinchilla

Length : 12-20in (30-50cm)
Weight : 400-800g

IUCN Status : Critically Endangered

You might just recognize today's animal, because they've become quite popular as pets in recent years. Did you know though, that both Short-Tailed and Long-Tailed Chinchillas are critically endangered in the wild? In the past they were hunted extensively for their pelts and for the pet trade, but now captive breeding has helped to alleviate some of the stress on the wild populations. Hunting was also made illegal during the early 20th century. Unfortunately, major damage has been done, with the species being extinct in certain areas.

Short-Tailed Chinchillas are medium sized rodents native to the Andes Mountains of South America. They live in colonies that can number up to a hundred individuals, and are most active at dusk and dawn. Short-Tailed Chinchillas are herbivores and will feed off of whatever vegetation is available to them.

Short-Tailed Chinchillas can live as long as ten years in the wild, and they reach sexual maturity at around 8 months. Females have a remarkably long gestation period for a small mammal, and are pregnant for about 110 days. Typically 2-3 young are born at a time, and two litters are produced each year.

Many captive Chinchillas are believed to be a cross of the two wild species, and reintroduction into the wild has been unsuccessful thus far. Short-Tailed Chinchillas were highly prized because of their larger size and extremely dense fur. 50-100 fine hairs can grow from each of their hair follicles, as opposed to just one in humans. Chinchillas are still bred for the fur industry, but it is illegal to take pelts from wild animals.

Chipmunk

This morning I had originally planned on another invertebrate, but I was more in the mood for something fuzzy and cute, which is why we're going to learn about the chipmunk!

Cliff Chipmunk
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There are actually twenty-five distinct species of Chipmunk, traditionally classified in one genus, though a three-genera organization is also floating around out there. Of all those species, only one, the Siberian Chipmunk, is found outside of North America. All species have striped patterns across their faces and bodies, and different species range in color from gray (like the Cliff Chipmunk) to reddish-brown. Chipmunks are the smallest members of the squirrel family overall, though the Eastern Chipmunk can reach sizes of over eleven inches.

Chipmunks are perhaps most notable for their giant puffy cheeks that they can carry food around in. Food collection is of vital importance to this tiny rodents; though they do hibernate, they don't store fat. Instead, they have to munch on their stored up food from time to time. They are actually omnivores; though they typically eat seeds, nuts, and berries, they will also consume insects and bird's eggs.

Eastern Chipmunk
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Chipmunks are also known for their calls- shrill chirps that serve two purposes. The first is to warn about danger, and the second is as a mating call. They are typically solitary mammals, but will come together during their two breeding seasons a year. Mating pairs are not monogamous. Females have a thirty day gestation period, and her young will remain with her for 6-8 weeks before going off on their own. Chipmunks have countless natural predators, and their average lifespan in the wild is only about one year.

Kangaroo Rat

Not kangaroos, yet not actual rats, Kangaroo Rats are rodents of the genus Dipodomys. There are currently around 20 known species, all of whom live in arid regions of the American West and Southwest. California is especially rich in species.

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Kangaroo Rats are well adapted to their dry environments. They have kidneys that are extremely efficient; they are able to dispose waste without wasting precious water. They are able to take in water from the food they eat, and are able to store that food for long amounts of time in  cheek pouches. They also neither sweat nor pant as they would result in water loss. Kangaroo Rats get their name from the fact that they bounce around on their hind legs much like the large marsupials. They are able to jump several times their own body length, sometimes over six feet, to escape predators, and they have especially long tails that help for balance.

Kangaroo Rats are solitary animals and live in burrow and in territories that they defend. They use their powerful hind legs to kick sand at and attack trespassers. The sand technique is also used when fleeing from predators. They do have numerous natural predators including Coyotes, Snakes, and Owls.

Females may have three litters a year, and the overall life expectancy is between two and five years. Kangaroo Rats are not currently threatened.

"Guinea-zilla"

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Oh do I ever love mega-fauna, especially when it's something you completely wouldn't expect. Giant Mammoth? Alright, sure, Elephants are big. Giant Bear? Yeah, that too. But what about a Giant Guinea Pig? And now, I'm not talking about something Capybara sized. (Capybaras, for reference, are the world's largest living rodents and weigh up to 130lbs) Oh no, no no no. Phoberomys pattersoni, first discovered in 1999 and just recently published about, was a massive rodent that exceeded 1,500lbs. A typical modern guinea pig weights about 2lbs. That is 750 Guinea Pigs or about the size of a Buffalo!

(Image Source)

But never you fear. Phoberomys pattersoni died out about eight million years ago, and even when it was alive, it was an herbivore that fed off of sea grasses in Venezuela's Orinoco Delta. Its hind limbs were much more powerful than its front ones, and it had a strong tail that suggests that it sat up while eating.

So what ate it? Well, back around the same time and place their also existed one of the largest Crocodylians ever; Purussaurus brasiliensis measured somewhere in the ballpark of 12m. And given that P. pattersoni was found in semi-aquatic riverside habitats, they may have interacted. It is believed that P. pattersoni went extinct because they were so big. They were too large to burrow and were unable to outrun predators like many of the lither, hoofed mammals could.

P. pattersoni was named in honor of Brian Patterson, a paleontologist who worked in the region of its discovery back in the 1970s.

Beaver

Alright, I had a different animal planned for today, but then a news story popped up that I simply could not ignore....

World's largest beaver dam. Located in a remote, basically inaccessible area of Alberta, Canada, this thing is almost 3,000 feet long and has likely been under construction for 40 years by multiple beaver families and generations. (Alberta is interestingly also the home of a 15 foot tall roadside beaver attraction!)


Beavers had a guest role in one of my posts last week, which mentioned their importance to local ecosystems. Beavers build dams for food storage and protection, but there are several valuable side effects that go along with them just trying to get away from some coyotes. These dams help to prevent erosion, help develop new wetlands, mitigate the damage cause by floods, provide spawning sites for salmon and help to adsorb excess sediments. These are only a few of the long and short terms benefits provided by beaver dams, and its no wonder other species have disappeared following beaver extinction in a certain area. Their homes hold a habitat together... provided it is the correct type of habitat. Beavers were introduced to an Argentinian island in the 1940's for fur farming purposes, but because the trees there were not meant to have submerged roots, they began to rot and the original habitat flooded and caused serious damage over time.


There are two species of beaver, the North American (Castor canadensis) and the European (Castor fiber). They have some differences in their physical characteristics, and they are not genetically compatible between species, but they are fairly similar in size, ranking as #3 and #2 respectively for the largest rodents in the world. (Capybara wins #1) It is not uncommon for them to hit 50 lbs! 


Both species once had vast habitat ranges through their respective continents, but where hunted to near extinction for their pelts and for a medicinal secretion called castoreum. Efforts to reintroduce them have been happening around the world.


image from Beavers in England

Yellow Bellied Marmot

Native to the western united states, the Yellow-Bellied Marmot (Marmota flaviventris) is one of many species of marmot, which in turn is a type of ground squirrel. They weigh up to 11lbs, hibernate in the winter, and live off an omnivorous diet. They also like to lounge on rocks looking awesome. They also happen to be the best studied marmot species. Additionally in the fun fact department, marmots and other ground squirrels do not have tails because they simply aren't useful, and lost them during their evolution around 2 million years ago. Badgers like to eat them (the marmots, not their non-existent tails).

image from scary squirrel world