Mouse-like hamster

Mouse-like Hamsters Temporal range: Late Miocene–Recent PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Calomyscus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Superfamily:	Muroidea
Family:	Calomyscidae Vorontsov & Potapova, 1979
Genus:	Calomyscus Thomas, 1905
Species
Calomyscus bailwardi Calomyscus baluchi Calomyscus elburzensis Calomyscus grandis Calomyscus hotsoni Calomyscus mystax Calomyscus tsolovi Calomyscus urartensis

Mouse-like hamster using its tail for balance while standing on a branch (a feat difficult for hamsters).

Mouse-like hamsters are a group of small rodents found in Syria, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. They are found in rocky outcrops and semi-mountainous area in desert regions.

The mouse-like hamsters are not true hamsters, but represent an early split from the rest of the mouse-like rodents. They were once thought to be hamsters based on the shape of their molars, but they lack the cheek pouches, sebaceous flank glands, and short tail of the true hamsters. The closest relatives of mouse-like hamsters may be the fossil Cricetodontidae. Because of their seemingly early break from the rest of the mouse-like rodents, mouse-like hamsters have been placed in a family of their own, Calomyscidae, and have been referred to as living fossils.

All members of this genus were once considered part of the same species, Calomyscus bailwardi, but they are now referred to as separate species due to major differences in chromosome number, skull measurements, and other features.

In Europe, a species of Calomyscus is available as a pet. They are labelled Calomyscus bailwardi mystax or Calomyscus bailwardi, and probably represent either C. mystax or C. elburzensis. They are generally only available from dedicated breeders, not pet shops.

Mouse-like hamsters hold the record for maximum life span among muroid rodents (Volf, 2003). They have been recorded as living 9 years, 3 months and 18 days in captivity. They regularly live over 4 years in captivity. The next closest lifespan among muroids is 7 years, 8 months among the better studied Canyon mouse, Peromyscus crinitus. This and their low reproductive output suggests that mouse-like hamsters are more similar in life-history traits to much larger rodents such as sciurids and hystricognaths who can both live over 10 years in captivity.

Species

Family Calomyscidae

• Genus Calomyscus
  • Zagros Mountains Mouse-like Hamster, Calomyscus bailwardi
  • Baluchi Mouse-like Hamster, Calomyscus baluchi
  • Goodman's Mouse-like Hamster, Calomyscus elburzensis
    • Zykov's Mouse-like Hamster, Calomyscus elburzensis zykovi
  • Noble Mouse-like Hamster, Calomyscus grandis
  • Hotson's Mouse-like Hamster, Calomyscus hotsoni
  • Great Balkhan Mouse-like Hamster, Calomyscus mystax
  • Tsolov's Mouse-like Hamster, Calomyscus tsolovi
  • Urar Mouse-like Hamster, Calomyscus urartensis

References

• Jansa, S. A. and M. Weksler. 2004. Phylogeny of muroid rodents: relationships within and among major lineages as determined by IRBP gene sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 31:256-276.
• Michaux, J., A. Reyes, and F. Catzeflis. 2001. Evolutionary history of the most speciose mammals: molecular phylogeny of muroid rodents. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 17:280-293.
• Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. Pp. 894-1531 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
• Steppan, S. J., R. A. Adkins, and J. Anderson. 2004. Phylogeny and divergence date estimates of rapid radiations in muroid rodents based on multiple nuclear genes. Systematic Biology, 53:533-553.
• Volf, J. 2003. Rekord dlouhovekosti kreckovitych savcu (Cricetidae). Gazella 30:69-72.

External links

• Animal Diversity Web: Detailed description
• Photos of the Turkmen Mouse-like hamster (German page)