Sokolov's Lesser Hamster

About this species

Habitat

Sandy desert with shrubs

Range

Western and southern Mongolia and adjoining Inner Mongolia

Litter size

4–9, with 2–3 litters annually

Sokolov's lesser hamster is a small gray hamster with a conspicuous dark stripe along the back. It was formerly combined with the striped lesser hamster but has been treated as a separate species since its description from Mongolia in 1988. That taxonomic history makes records under older names worth checking carefully. The consulted species account does not supply complete external measurements or a dependable side-by-side diagnosis, so the dorsal stripe should not be used alone where other small hamsters overlap. (Wikipedia, Sokolov's dwarf hamster account)

The opened account reports this hamster from western and southern Mongolia, including the northern and eastern Gobi, and from Inner Mongolia in China. It uses burrows dug beneath shrubs in sandy desert. Reproduction begins around mid-May; females may produce two or three litters in a year, with four to nine young in each. These locality and life-history details are attributed on the page to A Guide to the Mammals of China and the original Mongolian description. No specific reserve or reliable observation season is recommended beyond that documented breeding period. (Wikipedia, Sokolov's dwarf hamster account; Mammal Diversity Database, Mongolia country list)

Description: Wildlife of Mongolia guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)