What does a hamster look like, what is its muzzle and paws (photo)

It is believed that every person since childhood knows what a hamster looks like. But there are so many species of these rodents that it is not always possible to determine the name of the animal: squirrel, rat or hamster. Their appearance is varied. A hamster can grow up to 5 cm, and it happens that the size of the body of this rodent reaches 34 cm. The tail can be 0,7 cm, and in some species it reaches 10 cm.

And yet, in most species, the appearance is similar.

Appearance

A hamster is a compact, small, agile animal covered with hair. In the wild, it has a color that allows it to blend in with the terrain. In domestic hamsters, a variety of colors can be observed.

Head

The head of a hamster is not too big in relation to the whole body. The shape is rounded, tapering at the muzzle towards the nose. The ears are usually not too big. Only the field hamster has large ears. This is easy to explain – in the field, the hamster needs to catch every rustle in order to avoid a collision with a predator. Hence the large ears.

In addition to the sound of an approaching enemy, the animal also needs to catch ultrasounds and squeaks of its relatives.

On the sides of the head there are a pair of black, round eyes. This arrangement gives the rodent a wider view. Dormouse hamsters have especially large eyes, and the darker fur around the eyes makes them even bigger. In other species, the eyes are not too large. A large value is not too necessary for this small animal, because it does not really rely on the eyes, since hamsters have poor eyesight.

The muzzle ends in a small nose, around which there are long whiskers. The nose and mustache (and excellent hearing) compensate for the animal’s poor eyesight.

A hamster has 16 teeth in its mouth. There are 4 front incisors and 12 molars. Like all rodents, the teeth of these animals grow constantly, so their hamster constantly grinds, that is, he always gnaws something. Interestingly, the teeth are covered with strong enamel only on the front side, and there is almost no enamel on the inside.

What kind of muzzle a hamster has can be clearly seen in the photo below.

 cheek pouches

It is worth talking about this feature of the hamster in more detail.

The size of the cheek pouches can reach the size of the entire head, and sometimes more. Such a natural “adaptation” is necessary for a rodent in order to drag its supplies into its hole. It is possible to drag a lot, because such cheek pockets are located from the lips to the very shoulders of the animal. It is estimated that a hamster drags up to 90 kg of supplies into its hole per year. In the hole, the hamster releases its cheeks by pressing on them with its paws.

Curiously, cheek pockets perform other functions:

• used to carry food;
• necessary for temporary storage and hiding of food;
• used to intimidate the enemy;
• act as a lifeline when swimming.

In order to frighten the enemy, the animals puff out their cheeks, so the hamsters look more voluminous.

When swimming, the animal does the same. He puffs out his cheeks, and the collected air keeps the body of the hamster on the surface, preventing him from drowning.

Since the rodent can drag everything that it comes across into its mouth, sometimes the shape of the cheeks looks asymmetrical, or even the cheeks are puffy at the corners. Sharp objects should be avoided so that the hamster does not get hurt.

Body structure

The weight of a hamster, as well as the size of its body, can vary from 7 g to 700 g. There are also heavier individuals. In most species, the female and male do not differ in size, only in some species the female is slightly larger.

The body of hamsters is dense, short, has a rounded shape and is covered with soft, thick fur.

Fur color can be:

• ashen;
• gray-brown;
• dark gray (almost black);
• brown;
• ocher red;
• the black;
• golden;
• with stripes of gray or dark color on the back.

In addition to the main color, which is located on the back and sides, the coat on the abdomen can be either completely light (cream, yellowish, white), or, conversely, darker than the back, for example, black. The tail of a hamster is usually small. But there are species (rat-shaped hamsters) whose tail is quite long and completely naked. There are others that have long and fluffy tails, like those of a squirrel. The tail may be one-color, or it may be dark on the upper side, and white on the lower side (field hamster).

The paws of hamsters are different in size – front and back. The front legs are smaller, but well developed, strong, with their help in nature the animal digs holes. The hind legs are slightly larger. They are not adapted to digging, they only discard unnecessary earth from the hole and keep the body of the animal in an upright position. Hamsters have 5 toes on their paws. On the hind feet, all toes are well developed, while on the front feet, the fifth toe is poorly developed.

Why does a hamster need a mustache

Whiskers in hamsters are the main means of protection that helps to navigate the terrain. Vibrissae provide rodents with the ability to recognize the presence of objects near the snout and measure their size. The animals have poor eyesight, so the function prevents possible impacts and collisions with objects located on the way.

Also, a kind of “organ” allows hamsters to check the width of the hole. “Feeling” the edges of the course, the animals evaluate its patency.

Interesting Facts

• hamsters have a small tail, however, some obstinate females can bite off this tiny tail from a male;
• in some species of hamsters, the back soles of the paws are covered with thick hair, and in some species there are membranes between the fingers;
• the hamster sees everything in black and white, he does not distinguish colors;
• no matter what hamsters look like, but having a tiny body, these pets, for example, can learn a lot of tricks, remember their nickname and remember well their relatives with whom they had to live in a cage;
• Hamsters are characterized by many emotions – joy, grief and even resentment.

It is important to love a pet, no matter what it looks like. If it is not possible to love, then let the wisdom be enough not to harm them.

Video: what are hamsters