A small hamster with a narrow dark stripe down its back that lives in dry steppes and deserts.
Its short, soft coat is brown above and pale below, with a narrow dark stripe running from between the ears to the tail. Coat color varies by region.
Field observations suggest that a Campbell's hamster searches for food above the ground as well as on it. Near Lake Tere-Khol in Tuva and Bayan-Undzhul in Mongolia, the authors saw hamsters chase butterflies flying around shrubs and catch grasshoppers resting on leaves. Even a small steppe resident can forage among the branches and foliage.
The observations also reached below the surface: the authors described hamsters digging out and eating beetle larvae. Butterflies in flight, grasshoppers on leaves, and larvae in soil represent different places to find food. The authors called their field records fragmentary, but they offer a glimpse of insect foraging in a hamster whose diet is centered on seeds.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Field observations of Campbell's hamster are reported from dry steppe near Lake Tere-Khol in Tuva and Bayan-Undzhul in Mongolia. Foraging around shrubs and on the ground makes these steppe settings relevant when considering local habitat. A current global conservation category, assessment date, and population trend are not confirmed here.