The common hamster (Cricetus cricetus)
Subtitle: perspectives on an endangered species
By: edited by Eva Millesi, Hans Winkler & Renate Hengsberger.
Contributors: Millesi, Eva.; Winkler, Hans, 1945-; Hengsberger, Renate.; Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften.
Series: Biosystematics and ecology series -- no. 25
Publisher: Austrian Academy of Sciences Press
Published: 2008
Place of publication: Vienna
Language: eng
Number of pages: 126
ISBN-13: 9783700165866
Subjects: Hamsters -- Conservation -- Europe; Rare mammals -- Europe
Description: "The Common Hamster is a fascinating species that differs from other hibernating small mammals in several aspects. Females have up to three litters per season and under favourable conditions both males and females are sexually mature in their first year. The ability to cache food changes the need for fattening prior to hibernation and consequently can alter the pattern of reproductive activity. The Common Hamster has lived in agricultural areas in close association with humans for centuries. During the last few decades, the loss of suitable habitats and modern agriculture technology have brought the species close to extinction in many areas. It has thus been listed as a highly threatened species in several European countries. Preventative measures require detailed knowledge about the biology of the species and a 'hamster-friendly' management scheme in agricultural areas. In this volume, contributions made at the 13th Meeting of the International Hamster Workgroup have been summarized. Studies investigating burrow architecture, population dynamics, predation pressure, life span and reproductive activity underline the environmental flexibility of the species. The results of conservation programs are presented and discussed. Reports of breeding regimes with selected light-dark-cycles that can be used to optimize reproductive output and may benefit reintroduction projects have also been included. Generally the presented results should help broaden our knowledge about the Common Hamster and promote international networks to plan, implement, coordinate and evaluate management programs."--Publisher's description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.
Table of contents: title: The second French common hamster (Cricetus cricetus L.) conservation program : concept and details / Isabelle Losinger & Janusch Pöter; title: Movements in translocated common hamsters (Cricetus cricetus) / Claudia Kupfernagel; title: Determinants of above-ground burrow architecture in the common hamster / Lenka Lisická ... [et al.]; title: Population development and life expectency in common hamsters / Claudia Franceschini-Zink & Eva Millesi; title: Role of the common hamster (Cricetus cricetus) in the diet of natural predators in Hungary / Zoltán Bihari ... [et al.]; title: Peak numbers of Cricetus cricetus (L.) : do they appear simultaneously? / Gábor Nechay; title: Is the common hamster a good example for nature conservation efforts? : critical reflections on the law on nature conservation in theory and practice / Ulrich Weinhold; title: Using track tubes to verify the syntopic occurrence of two ground-dwelling rodent species / Ilse F. Hoffmann; title: How to increase the reproductive success in common hamsters : shift work in the breeding colony / Stefanie Monecke & Franziska Wollnik; title: Yearling male common hamsters and the trade-off between growth and reproduction / Karin Lebl & Eva Millesi.