In 1839 a British zoologist named George Waterhouse was working in Syria when he found an elderly female hamster. Being a previously undocumented species, he named it Cricetus auratus, or Golden Hamster. Today it is more commonly referred to as the Syrian Hamster. This particular hamster’s fur was later put on display at the British Museum.

About 90 years later, another zoologist by the name of Professor Aharoni visited Syria and found a mother hamster and her litter in the desert. It was a long trip back to his lab at the University of Jerusalem, so most had died or had escaped by the time he arrived. The ones that made it were given over to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, where they were bred. They were slightly larger than the ones originally discovered by George Waterhouse, and although they were mostly likely the same, they were thought to be a different species and named Mesocricetus auratus.

The hamsters were soon sent to labs all over the world. They first arrived in the U.K. in 1931, and seven years later in the United States. Almost all Syrian Hamsters in captivity today are directly descended from the original litter brought back by Professor Aharoni. Another batch was delivered to the U.S. in 1971, but it’s not known if any of today’s North American pets are descended from them.

Following the success of the Syrian Hamster in the pet market, other species of hamster were introduced in the 1970’s. In addition to being popular pets, hamsters are also very popular for scientific research. Their friendliness, rapid reproductive cycle, and excellent health make them a popular choice amongst research scientists. They are particularly sought after for cardiovascular research, as their cardiovascular system is remarkably similar to our own.

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