Greater long-tailed hamster Temporal range: Late Pliocene to Recent |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Rodentia |
Superfamily: | Muroidea |
Family: | Cricetidae |
Subfamily: | Cricetinae |
Genus: |
Tscherskia Ognev, 1914 |
Species: | T. triton |
Binomial name | |
Tscherskia triton (De Winton, 1899) |
The greater long-tailed hamster (Tscherskia triton) is a major crop-eating rodent that resides in Northern China. It is the only member of the genus Tscherskia. Some authorities maintain that the 15th gua of the Yi Jing (I Ching) refers repeatedly to this animal. The animal has been a major pest since ancient times and also has a habit of standing up on its rear legs and screaming loudly.