Behavioral patterns of Djungarian hamsters: An adaptive profile

Djungarian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus) were observed in a series of laboratory tests, including home cage activity, wheel running, open-field behavior, sexual dimorphism for body mass, copulatory behavior, tonic and dorsal immobility, climbing, digging, nest building, and parental behavior. Fourteen resulting measures were compared with previous results from this laboratory from a variety of muroid species. A cluster of behavioral adaptations emerged with several marked similarities to the behaviors of a group of North American Microtus species, whereas other behaviors appeared to more closely reflect the classification of the hamsters as cricetines. It is suggested thatPhodopus andMicrotus species may have evolved many similar adaptive characteristics in response to shared environmental variables.