Although the Golden Hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) was first described scientifically in 1839, it was not until 1930 that researchers were able to successfully breed and domesticate hamsters.[2] Pet Syrian hamsters are descended from hamsters first found and captured in Syria by zoologist Israel Aharoni.[3]
Hamster behaviour can vary depending on their environment, genetics, and interaction with people. Because they are easy to breed in captivity, hamsters are often used as lab animals in more economically developed countries. Hamsters have also become established as popular small house pets.[2]
Contents |
The name hamster derives from the German Hamster, which itself comes from earlier Old High German hamustro. Possibly related to Old Russian choměstrǔ, which is either a blend of the root of Russian khomiak "hamster" and a Baltic word (cf. Lithuanian staras "hamster")[4] or of Persian origin (cf. Av hamaēstar "oppressor")[5].
Hamsters are stout-bodied, with tails shorter than body length, and have small furry ears, short stocky legs, and wide feet. Their thick, silky fur, which can be long or short, can be black, gray, honey, white, brown, yellow, or red depending on the species, or a mix of any of those colors.
Two species of hamsters belonging to the genus Phodopus (Phodopus campbelli, Campbell's Dwarf Hamster, and Phodopus sungorus, the Winter White Russian Dwarf Hamster) and also two of the species of the genus Cricetulus, (Cricetulus barabensis, the Chinese Striped Hamster, and Cricetulus griseus, the Chinese Dwarf Hamster) have a dark stripe down the head to tail. The species of genus Phodopus are the smallest, with bodies 5.5 to 10.5 cm (about 2 to 4 inches) long; the largest is the common hamster ( tWww S Dick Burlesque En John Minor Wisdom Hamster - pedia, the free encyclopedi Www S Dick Burlesque En John Minor Wisdomu Public Guys uWww S Dick Burlesque En John Minor Wisdom Hamster - pedia, the free encyclopedi Www S Dick Burlesque En John Minor Wisdomt Milf Yes
