The Syrian Hamster, also known as the golden hamster or the teddy bear hamster, was first discovered in 1839 by George R. Waterhouse. He named the species Mesocricetus Auratus, meaning Golden Hair. Researchers and scientists were unable to domesticate and breed hamsters successfully until a whopping century later.
Although difficult to believe, every domesticated Syrian hamster is descended from one brother-sister litter, therefore all Syrians are related in some way. A zoologist from the University of Jerusalem, Israel Aharoni, is responsible for importing this beginning litter in 1930 from Syria (hence the name, Syrian) to Jerusalem. The hamsters were taken to a lab in Jerusalem to be studied. The scientists found them friendly, full of character, and low maintenance. Using the litter, hamsters were bred successfully in Jerusalem. Nine years later, in 1939, hamsters were exported around the world and to the US, where they became a very common pet and lab animal.
Studies comparing wild and domesticated Syrians have shown reduced genetic variability in the domestic strain. However, the behavioral, chronobiological, morphometrical, hematological, and biochemical parameters are shown to be surprisingly similar.
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