The noble mouse-like hamster or the noble calomyscus,
[Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. pp. 894–1531 in ]
Mammal Species of the World
a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference.'' D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. (''Calomyscus grandis'') is a species of
mouse-like hamster
image:Calo03.jpg, 200px, right
image:Calo13.jpg, 200px, Mouse-like hamster using its tail for balance while standing on a branch (a feat difficult for hamsters)
Mouse-like hamsters are a group of small rodents found in Syria, Azerbaijan, Iran, Tu ...
from
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. It is the largest species of ''Calomyscus'' and was initially described as a subspecies of ''
Calomyscus bailwardi
The Zagros Mountains mouse-like hamster (''Calomyscus bailwardi'') is a relatively little-known rodent which was the first species of mouse-like hamster to be described. The species is distributed throughout much of southern Iran, particularly in ...
''.
[Schlitter, D. A. and H. W. Setzer. 1973. New Rodents (Mammalia: Cricetidae, Muridae) from Iran and Pakistan. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 86:163-174.] The animal is found in the region near
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
and is identifiable based on its large size (74–91 mm) and soft, buffy, brown dorsal pelage.
Musser and Carleton
recognized ''C. grandis'' as a distinct species.
References
Mouse-like hamsters
Mammals described in 1973
{{muroid-stub