Hamsters have some special characteristics you might have not known. Take a look!

Did you know that...?

The name "hamster" comes from a German word, hamstern, which means "to hoard." In Central Europe, a person who is greedy or selfish is often called a "hamster."

A single pair of hamsters can give rise to a population of several thousand within a single year! This is because hamsters have the shortest gestation period (out of all mammals), and reach sexual maturity at a young age (At 5 or 6 weeks old).

Like most rodents, hamsters have incisor teeth which never stop growing. The reason why they constantly grow is because the incisors don't have roots. They keep their teeth trim by constantly gnawing at things.

Hamsters cheeks are like loose skin "pockets". They are used to transport food that cannot be stored right away. Their cheek pouches can hold up to 18 grams! They are also used to defend themselves from enemies. When trying to scare away their opponent, a hamster puffs up it's cheeks with air to make itself look larger.

Like other rodents, hamsters have a double-chambered stomach. The food is predigested in the first stomach chamber, then broken down further in the main stomach.

A hamster's vision isn't their best feature since they are nocturnal creatures. They are farsighted, but don't see things with great sharpness. A hamster can see 110 degrees around them.

A hamster's hearing is better than it's sense of vision. But it's strongest in it's sense of smell. It revolves around smells and lives in a world of smells!

All of the above information is from "Hamsters" by Otto von Frisch.

Last Updated: October 31/00

slovacek@echo-on.net

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