The cricetids are small mammals, ranging from just 5 to 8 cm and 7 grams in weight in theNew World Pygmy Mouse, up to 41 to 62 cm and 1,100 grams in theMuskrat. How long the tail is depends on how big the body is, and the tails can be either with hair or a little hair. Most species have brown fur, with a white colored underbelly, but there are also many other patterns, especially in thecricetine andarvicoline subfamilies.
Like theOld World Mice, cricetids live in a wide range of habitats, in the highArctic to tropicalrainforests and hotdeserts. Some are good at climbing, with long balancing tails and other way to help them to climb, while others can swim, with webbed feet and smallexternal ears. Yet others are burrowing animals, or ground-dwellers, which live in the ground.
Their diet is also variable, withherbivorous,omnivorous, andinsectivorous species known. They all have large, biting and chewing, incisors separated from grindingmolar teeth by a gap, ordiastema. There can be a lot of these animals in a very short time, because the mother gives birth to them after 15 to 50 days, and they have a lot of babies at one time. The young are usually born blind, hairless, and helpless.
Eisenberg, J.F.; Feaver, J. & Krebs, C.J. (1984): Cricetidae.In:Macdonald, D. (ed.):The Encyclopedia of Mammals: 640-655, 672-673. Facts on File, New York.ISBN0-87196-871-1
Michaux, Johan; Reyes, Aurelio & Catzeflis, François (2001): Evolutionary history of the most speciose mammals: molecular phylogeny of muroid rodents.Mol. Biol. Evol.18(11): 2017-2031.PDF fulltext
Norris, R.W.; Zhou, K.Y.; Zhou, C.Q.; Yang, G.; Kilpatrick, C.W. & Honeycutt, R.L. (2004): The phylogenetic position of the zokors (Myospalacinae) and comments on the families of muroids (Rodentia).Mol. Phyl. Evol.31(3): 972-978.doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2003.10.020
Savage, R.J.G. & Long, M.R. (1986):Mammal Evolution: an illustrated guide. Facts on File, New York.ISBN0-8160-1194-X
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