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| | {{Taxobox | | {{Taxobox |
| | | color = pink | | | color = pink |
| − | | name = Syrian or Golden Hamster | + | | name = Chinese Hamster |
| − | | image = 100_983.jpg | + | | image = Chinese Hamster.jpg |
| − | | image_width = 250px | + | | image_width = 220px |
| | + | | image_caption = Chinese hamster, white-spotted type |
| | | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | | | regnum = [[Animal]]ia |
| | | phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]] | | | phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]] |
| − | | subphylum = [[Vertebrate|Vertebrata]]
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| | | classis = [[Mammal]]ia | | | classis = [[Mammal]]ia |
| − | | ordo = [[Rodent]]ia | + | | ordo = [[Rodentia]] |
| − | | subordo = [[Sciurognathi]]
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| − | | superfamilia = [[Muroidea]]
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| | | familia = [[Cricetidae]] | | | familia = [[Cricetidae]] |
| − | | subfamilia = [[Cricetinae]]
| + | | genus = ''[[Cricetulus]]'' |
| − | | genus = ''[[Mesocricetus]]'' | + | | species = '''''C. griseus''''' |
| − | | species = '''''M. auratus''''' | + | | binomial = ''Cricetulus griseus'' |
| − | | binomial = ''Mesocricetus auratus'' | |
| − | | binomial_authority = [[George Robert Waterhouse|Waterhouse]], 1839
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| | }} | | }} |
| | + | The '''Chinese Hamster''' is a species of [[hamster]], scientific name ''Cricetulus griseus'', which originate in the [[desert]]s of Southern [[China]] and [[Mongolia]]. These animals grow to between 7.5 and 9 cm in length and as adults can weight 50-75 grams. They live two to three years on average. |
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| − | The '''Syrian Hamster''' or '''Golden Hamster''', ''Mesocricetus auratus'', is the best known member of the [[rodent]] [[subfamily]] [[Cricetinae]], the [[hamster]]s. They may now be [[extinct]] in nature, but are popular as house pets all across the world, and are also used in scientific research. Adults grow from 12.5 to 17.5 cm (5 to 7 inches) in length, and in captivity will usually live from 2 to 3 years.
| + | A Chinese hamster's body proportions, compared with those of other hamsters, appear "long and thin" and they have (for a hamster) a relatively long tail. Chinese hamsters are not, technically, [[dwarf hamster|"dwarf" hamsters]] since this term refers to animals in the genus ''Phodopus'', (the two types of [[Phodopus sungorus|Russian Dwarf Hamster]]s and [[Phodopus roborovski|Roborovskii Dwarf Hamster]]s). |
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| − | ==Biology==
| + | The wild colour is greyish brown above with a black stripe down the spine and a whitish belly. This colouration, combined with their lithe build and longer tail, makes them look "mousy" to some eyes and, in fact, they are members of the group called [[ratlike hamster|ratlike hamsters]]. Besides the wild colour, a well-known variation is the white-spotted Chinese hamster, which often is greyish white all over, with only a dark stripe on its back. |
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| − | Like most members of the subfamily, the Golden Hamster has expandable cheek pouches, which reach from its cheeks to its shoulders. In the wild, hamsters are [[larder hoarding|larder hoarders]], and they use their cheek pouches to transport food to their burrows. They can load a remarkable amount of food into their pouches; their name in the local [[Arabic language|Arabic]] dialect in the area where they are found translates as "father of saddlebags" أبو جراب. If food is plentiful, they will store it in large amounts, and it has been reported that 25 kg of grain was found in the burrow of a single hamster. They are notoriously good at reproducing, with the shortest gestation period of any mammal.
| + | They have quiet temperaments and are easily handled; one of their endearing traits is that of clinging to a finger with all four paws, rather like a harvest mouse on a corn stalk. Chinese hamsters can be quite nervous as youngsters but, once they are tame, display an endearing calmness and gentleness of character. |
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| − | [[image:Jan2306_122.jpg|thumb|left|male teddy bear hamster]] | + | In the past, Chinese hamsters were commonly used [[Experimental_animal|laboratory animals]], until they were replaced by the common mouse and rat, which are easier to keep and breed. However, quite a few biotech drugs are still being produced by putting the gene for the protein into [[Chinese_Hamster_Ovary_cell|Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells]], which then produce the protein. |
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| − | Most hamsters in American and English pet stores are Syrian Hamsters. Originally, Syrian Hamsters came in just one color--the mixture of brown, black, and gold which gave them their "Golden" name--but they have since developed a myriad of color mutations such as cream, white, blonde, banded, tortoiseshell, calico, and sable. Therefore in pet stores today, ''Golden Hamster'' is only used to label the orginal coloration (also known as "agouti), while the other-colored short-hairs are banded under the lable ''Fancy Hamster''. ''Teddy Bear'' is a term used to describe the long-haired variety of the Syrian Hamster, named so for their remarkable resemblance to toy teddy bears. They are also sometimes known as "angora hamsters". Male teddy bear hamsters usually have much longer fur than the female variety, culminating in a "skirt" of longer fur around their backsides. ''Black Bears'' are a recent off-shoot of teddy bear hamsters (mutation discovered in 1985), with their major difference being their black-colored fur. It can be argued that black bears are just black teddy bears rather than their own breed; on the other hand, black bears are selectively bred for their larger size and more docile nature as well as their color.
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| − | Syrian Hamsters are wildly popular as housepets due to their docile, inquisitive natures and small size. They are popular as "first pets" for young children, as well as being classroom animals, because of their hardiness and relative ease of care. Some pet owners find them more attractive in relation to rats and other rodents due to their lack of visible tails.
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| − | Syrian Hamsters have also been used in scientific research--in the study of many diseases, as well as in the study of behaviour. They have a number of [[fixed action pattern]]s that are readily observed, including scent-marking. They are particularly used in airway and respiratory physiology research.
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| − | == Discovery ==
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| − | [[Image:hamster.jpg|thumb|right|albino golden hamster]]
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| − | In [[1839]] [[Britain|British]] [[zoologist]] [[George Robert Waterhouse]] reportedly found an elderly female hamster in Syria, naming it ''Cricetus auratus,'' the Golden Hamster. The hamster's fur was on display at the [[British Museum (Natural History)]]. The Syrian Hamster was then ignored by European science for the next century. Around 1930, zoologist and Professor at the University of Jerusalem [[Israel Aharoni]] found a mother and litter of hamsters in the [[Syria]]n desert. By the time he got back to his lab, most had died or escaped. The remaining hamsters were given to the [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]], where they were successfully bred. They were a bit bigger than the ones Waterhouse found, so they were named ''Mesocricetus auratus'', although they were probably the same species. ''Mesocricetus auratus'' is the currently accepted scientific name of Syrian Hamsters.
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| − | Descendants of these hamsters were shipped to scientific labs around the world, for use as research animals. They arrived in the [[United Kingdom]] in 1931, and in 1938 reached the United States. Soon after their initial discovery, they were found to make great pets. Just about all Golden Hamsters are descended from the original litter found in Syria, except for a few that were brought into the United States by travellers who found them in the desert. A separate stock of hamsters was imported into the US in 1971, but it isn't known if any of today's North American pets are descended from them.
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| − | ==See also==
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| − | *[[Hamster]]
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| | ==External links== | | ==External links== |
| | + | *[http://www.hamster-heaven.com Hamster Heaven] |
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| − | *[http://www.hamster-heaven.com Hamster Heaven]
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| − | *[http://www.xander.it/video.htm Xander.it] - Video collection of Syrian hamsters (page is in Italian)
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| − | *[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Info&id=10036&lvl=3&keep=1&srchmode=1&unlock Genome information]
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| − | *[http://www.petwebsite.com/hamsters/syrian_hamsters.htm Petwebsite Entry on Syrians]
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| − | *[http://hometown.aol.com/TheRiverRd/ The River Road Hamstery]- Very good information on hamster breeding, especially for coat types
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| − | *[http://www.hamsoc.org.uk/varieties.php The Hamster Society]
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| − | [[Category:Animals kept as pets]]
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| | [[Category:Hamsters]] | | [[Category:Hamsters]] |
| − | | + | [[fr:Cricetulus]] |
| − | [[bg:Златист хамстер]]
| + | [[nl:Chinese dwerghamster]] |
| − | [[de:Goldhamster]]
| + | [[pl:Chomik chiński]] |
| − | [[fr:Hamster doré]] | |
| − | [[it:Mesocricetus auratus]]
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| − | [[he:אוגר זהוב]]
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| − | [[nl:Goudhamster]] | |
| − | [[ja:ゴールデンハムスター]]
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| − | [[pl:Chomik syryjski]] | |
| − | [[fi:Kultahamsteri]]
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| − | [[sv:Guldhamster]]
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| − | [[zh:敘利亞倉鼠]]
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Template:Taxobox
The Chinese Hamster is a species of hamster, scientific name Cricetulus griseus, which originate in the deserts of Southern China and Mongolia. These animals grow to between 7.5 and 9 cm in length and as adults can weight 50-75 grams. They live two to three years on average.
A Chinese hamster's body proportions, compared with those of other hamsters, appear "long and thin" and they have (for a hamster) a relatively long tail. Chinese hamsters are not, technically, "dwarf" hamsters since this term refers to animals in the genus Phodopus, (the two types of Russian Dwarf Hamsters and Roborovskii Dwarf Hamsters).
The wild colour is greyish brown above with a black stripe down the spine and a whitish belly. This colouration, combined with their lithe build and longer tail, makes them look "mousy" to some eyes and, in fact, they are members of the group called ratlike hamsters. Besides the wild colour, a well-known variation is the white-spotted Chinese hamster, which often is greyish white all over, with only a dark stripe on its back.
They have quiet temperaments and are easily handled; one of their endearing traits is that of clinging to a finger with all four paws, rather like a harvest mouse on a corn stalk. Chinese hamsters can be quite nervous as youngsters but, once they are tame, display an endearing calmness and gentleness of character.
In the past, Chinese hamsters were commonly used laboratory animals, until they were replaced by the common mouse and rat, which are easier to keep and breed. However, quite a few biotech drugs are still being produced by putting the gene for the protein into Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, which then produce the protein.
External links
fr:Cricetulus
nl:Chinese dwerghamster
pl:Chomik chiński
