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Syrian Hamster

Mesocricetus auratus

Description:

Hamsters are rodents belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae. The subfamily contains about 25 species, classified in six or seven genera.[1] Hamsters are crepuscular. In the wild, they burrow underground in the daylight to avoid being caught by predators. Their diet includes a variety of foods, including dried food, berries, nuts, fresh fruits and vegetables. In the wild they feed primarily on seeds, fruits and greens, and will occasionally eat burrowing insects.[2] They have an elongated pouch on each side of their heads that extend to their shoulders, which they stuff full of food to be stored, brought back to the colony or to be eaten later. 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.[3] Pet Golden Hamsters are descended from hamsters first found and captured in Syria by zoologist Israel Aharoni.[4] Hamster behavior 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.

Notes:

the description i only got it from wikipedia and the hamster eating leaf the picture i took is a hamster (white hamster) is visiting our home

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2 Comments

KennethDG
KennethDG 11 years ago

winston! si kenneth este!

alicelongmartin
alicelongmartin 12 years ago

It looks like the visitor is eating either clover or dandelion. Cute.

winston
Spotted by
winston

Zamboanga, Zamboanga Peninsula, Philippines

Spotted on Jul 9, 2011
Submitted on Jul 10, 2011

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