Golden hamster vs Scaly Stalkball

Mesocricetus auratus compared with Tulostoma melanocyclum

Key Differences

• Golden hamster is Not Evaluated while Scaly Stalkball is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Golden hamster	Scaly Stalkball
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Cricetidae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Mesocricetus	Tulostoma
Species	Mesocricetus auratus	Tulostoma melanocyclum

Conservation Status

Golden hamster

NE — Not Evaluated

Scaly Stalkball

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Golden hamster	Scaly Stalkball
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Golden hamster

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found across Europe (7 countries) and South America (Colombia, Ecuador).

Scaly Stalkball

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway