What is a European hamster?

A European hamster is a species of large hamster with a black underbelly and is native to Eurasia. It is also known as the black-bellied or common hamster.

Although it is called the "common hamster," the species, which is kept as a pet worldwide, is actually not the European hamster at all. It is actually a golden hamster that belongs to an entirely different genus and whose range does not overlap with the European hamster. The European hamster is not a domesticated pet. In its native range it is considered an agricultural pest, and it is trapped for its fur or killed as vermin. In some European countries, it is considered endangered due to overzealous hunting and trapping.