When you hear “hamster,” you probably think of tiny cages, spinning wheels, and sunflower seeds. But wild European hamsters are a completely different story. In this episode of Not a Biologist, Alex talks to wildlife filmmaker Yaz Ellis about the secret lives of Vienna’s wild hamsters, which are thriving on the city’s graveyards. Alex and Yaz will talk about dramatic cemetery fights, underground tunnel systems and also about why one of Europe’s cutest rodents is now critically endangered. We also dive into how you even film these tiny chaos goblins, why Vienna has become one of their last strongholds, and why their sense of smell is far better than their eyesight. Fun fact: the German word “hamstern” literally means “to hoard” and after this episode, you’ll understand exactly why.