Wildlifeof Nepal
Ladakh Hamster
Rats, Mice, Voles & PorcupinesCricetulus alticola
Basic stats
Diet
Grain and seeds, and also insects
Habitat
Conifer forest in Nepal; also high meadows and steppe in the wider species
Range
Jammu and Kashmir and western Nepal up to about 4,000m; wider species across Tibet, China, India and Nepal to about 5,200m
Litter size
Usually 5-10 young
The Ladakh hamster was long called Cricetulus alticola and was moved to the genus Urocricetus in 2018. The Mammal Diversity Database suggests the names alticola, tibetanus and lama may all refer to one species, with lama the oldest available name, though more research is needed (Mammal Diversity Database).
In the Himalaya it ranges from Jammu and Kashmir to western Nepal at altitudes up to about 4,000m, and the wider species reaches about 5,200m in the mountains of Tibet, China, India and Nepal. In Nepal it has been recorded in coniferous forest. It forages for grain and seeds and also eats insects, breeds in summer, and has litters of usually five to ten young (Mammal Diversity Database and related species accounts).
Quick answers
- What does the Ladakh Hamster eat?
- Grain and seeds, and also insects
- What habitat does the Ladakh Hamster live in?
- Conifer forest in Nepal; also high meadows and steppe in the wider species
- Where is the Ladakh Hamster found?
- Jammu and Kashmir and western Nepal up to about 4,000m; wider species across Tibet, China, India and Nepal to about 5,200m
- What is the litter size of the Ladakh Hamster?
- Usually 5-10 young