The Chinese hamster is a small rodent up to 12 centimeters in body length. It inhabits steppes and semi-deserts of northern China and Mongolia and is often used in scientific laboratories.
The Chinese hamster differs from other hamsters in its gray-brown coloration with a dark stripe on the back and a very short tail. It is important for science as a laboratory animal used to study genetics and diseases.
meadows, prairies, forb glades on land
homogamy, reproduction always with fertilization, no alternation of generations
Immature form that undergoes metamorphosis before adulthood.
Worker
Tail size
birth time
breeding
Dogs, dolphins, lynx hang out for 9-25 years and party on their birthday three times a year
m
Map
will celebrate their {n} birthday
winter almost without rain, but lots of snow
g
summer mild, +15…+20 °C
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Human
days
How old you would be if you lived as {name}
Theoretical maximum lifespan estimated from the Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) mathematical model. This value reflects a biological potential derived from metabolic parameters, not from direct observation — real recorded lifespans are often significantly shorter.
adult
Maturity
Winter is dry and snowy
24 to 38 grams, 10 – 25 centimeters
insects
About health
cool, lots of coniferous trees, snow in winter
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
Repro interval
results
fur
Colors
Cool summer
Sex
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
mo
Uses an excavated underground tunnel or chamber for refuge or nesting.
rains are very rare, almost a desert
conifer cones
little precipitation in winter, more in summer
alpine meadows and arctic tundra on land
Trophic type
Filters
grain
Palearctic realm
young shoots and sprouts
Upcoming birthdays
Winter with snow
eggs, roe or offspring develop in a nest built on the ground or close to it
Truly long lives: 40-100 years. Bowhead whales, albatrosses, giant tortoises recall their birthday at most once a year
Lifespan
in a burrow
Height
young are born live on land, not hatched from eggs or roe
Age (juvenile)
Age (from birth to death)
cones of coniferous trees with seeds
Age (embryo)
most of Europe and Asia, various forests, steppes and tundra
Wanderers
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
dry, cold winter, lots of grass, few trees
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
fruits
Lifespan average
in a terrestrial nest
leaves
Incisors color
live birth
What do they look like?
Maturity
emergence (insects)
end of lifespan
How do they live?
fertilization / egg laying
How do they behave?
birth / hatching
metamorphosis / end of larval stage
end of acceleration
Share
seeds
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
nest hidden in an underground burrow
Pets
Feeding occurs primarily on land or in vegetation.
{name} jubilee
cm
Temperate coniferous forest
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
desert and semi-desert
turns
Rascals
terrestrial forest
terrestrial herbaceous
Tail color
grains of cereals — wheat, rice, millet, maize
Litter size
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
How to care for them?
Living from 25 to 40 years. Orangutans, bald eagles, African elephants celebrate their birthday twice a year
°C
Not specified
alpine and arctic tundra
Actively searching habitats to locate food items.
winter almost without rain, but lots of snow
Where are they found?
nest hidden in an underground burrow, only the mother provides parental care for the offspring
steppe
Incisors size
Low precipitation in winter
Legendary longevity: over 100 years. Galapagos tortoises, Greenland sharks, ocean quahogs celebrate with family once every 4 years
Offspring
Elders
Bro
normal sexual
Taxons
seeds, berries, fruits
if born as {name}
omnivore
age
birth date
Palearctic realm
arid terrestrial biotopes with sparse vegetation
rest
Fur color
Close
was
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
The basics
My weight?
Non-stop carnival: they only live a few days. Mayflies, rotifers, midges celebrate their birthday more than twice a day
primary food sources
burrow
Potential Habitat
lots of grass, few trees, rains are rare
d
In husbandry
On the go from 1.3 to 3.5 years. Forest mice, anoles, rainbow fish party on their birthday once a month
Mass
young shoots and leaves of plants
cold winter, lots of coniferous trees: spruce, pine
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
terrestrial
Gestation
land
{name} birthday
grass
No results found
On the map
young shoots, sprouts, green plant shoots
Pleasant summer
all life stages
Female ♀
Cold and almost dry
Dry and snowy winter
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
Potential habitat modelled from GBIF occurrence data. Map © Zveriki.com, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
birth year
lots of grass, few trees, rains occur
Shelter used specifically for reproduction or nesting.
Maturity
Skin color
caring mother
terrestrial habitat, land surface outside water
sq mm
yr
comfortable summer, +20…+25 °C
protection from sun
How similar?
cereal crops
Male ♂
until the celebration
baby / chick
age as {name}
How do they breed?
On the go from 3.5 to 6 years. Hedgehogs, crows, lizards treat themselves to birthday snacks 6 times a year
What if eaten?
Very dry
Neither
from birth to adulthood
Young offspring still dependent on parental care.
What do they eat?
dry and cold almost all year round
food collection and transport in cheek pouches
Where do they live?
Immature individual that has not yet reached reproductive maturity.
from birth to death
much snow in winter, cold
early young
forests on land — tropical, temperate, boreal
Temperate mixed forest
Duration
green shoots
live insects
This is me
most of Europe and Asia, various forests, steppes and tundra
Steppe
Gamers
How are they built?
Temperate steppe
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
food storage
wk
My size?
terrestrial
Taiga
Asexual
swap
Cheek pouches size
Rabbits, falcons, red-eared turtles hang out for 6-9 years and party on their birthday four times a year
Where do they take shelter?
Denotes a grassland or steppe habitat preference.
inhabit and develop on land, outside water bodies
celebrated their {n} birthday
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
Cold steppe
Daddies
Lifespan maximum
foraging
Hermaphrodite ⚥
cheek pouch
Tomato
embryo
Incisors count
summer warm, many oaks, birches, maples
Length
kg
Observations
◉{N} more on tap