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| Cricetulus Temporal range: Late Miocene to Recent
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| Chinese hamster, white-spotted type | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Subfamily: | Cricetinae |
| Genus: | Cricetulus A. Milne-Edwards, 1867 |
| Type species | |
| Cricetulus griseus[1] | |
| Species | |
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See text. | |
Cricetulus is a genus of rodent in the family Cricetidae (voles and hamsters); it has seven member species that inhabit arid or semi-arid regions in Eurasia.
They tend to be more ratlike in appearance than typical hamsters, hence the common name ratlike hamster. Many of the species are considered dwarf hamsters. However, members of the genera Allocricetulus, Tscherskia, and Cansumys are often called ratlike hamsters, and so are considered to be members of the genus Cricetulus by many authorities.
- ^ Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M., eds. (2005). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.