Cricetulus fossil map
Where fossils of Cricetulus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 0 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Early mammals |
|---|---|
| Lived | 6.965 million years ago to the present (Messinian to Holocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Cricetidae |
| Named by | Milne-Edwards 1867 |
| Fossil records | 74 occurrences at 31 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Greece, Türkiye, China, Russia, Hungary, Ukraine, Tajikistan, France, Israel, Kazakhstan … |
| Rock formations | txn:41724, Dursunlu, Chikoi, Khapry |
About Cricetulus
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.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Cricetulus (revision 1354826937), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q869711.
