| Mesocricetus Temporal range: Early Pliocene - Recent
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| Mesocricetus auratus | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Subfamily: | Cricetinae |
| Genus: | Mesocricetus Nehring, 1894 |
| Type species | |
| Cricetus nigricans[1] Brandt, 1832 (= Cricetus raddei Nehring, 1894)
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| Species | |
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Mesocricetus auratus | |
Mesocricetus is a genus of Old World hamsters, including the Syrian or golden hamster, the first hamster to be introduced as a domestic pet, and still the most popular species of hamster for that purpose.
Recent research has shown that, unlike almost all other land mammals studied, all species of this genus lack the capacity for color vision.[2]
- ^ 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.
- ^ Williams, Gary A. (2008). "Absence of functional short-wavelength sensitive cone pigments in hamsters (Mesocricetus)". Journal of Comparative Physiology A. 194: 429–439. doi:10.1007/s00359-008-0316-4.