World Hamster Day is an adorable celebration dedicated to these tiny, fluffy creatures! It's a day to appreciate and learn more about hamsters, their care, and their importance as pets. Whether you own one or simply admire them from afar, it's a great opportunity to spread some love for these furry friend's
It’s estimated that hamsters have been around for at least 15 million years, but they weren’t domesticated until the 20th century. This exciting development started when the zoologist Israel Aharoni went on an expedition to look for Syrian hamsters in a cornfield on April 12th, 1930. The 13 captured critters were then bred to produce the first domesticated hamsters, with the entire population of pet Syrian hamsters (also known as golden hamsters) actually descendants of this original group.
Pet hamsters quickly spread to places such as the US and UK, although they remain in the wild in various European and Asian countries like China, Belgium and Greece. Sadly, the wild version of the Syrian hamster is now considered an endangered species.
These days the most popular type of household hamster is the Syrian variant, with dwarf hamsters also very common. Like their fellow rodents, they are widely used in laboratories as test subjects in the study of various diseases and medical conditions such as lung cancer, gallstones and pulmonary fibrosis.
No wonder these wonderful animals deserve a day of celebration!
No comments:
Post a Comment