Hamster - Quiz
Hamster
  • 1. Who first scientifically described the Syrian hamster in 1839?
A) George Robert Waterhouse
B) Charles Darwin
C) Israel Aharoni
D) Leonard Goodwin
  • 2. In what year were researchers finally able to successfully breed and domesticate hamsters?
A) 1939
B) 1930
C) 1942
D) 1839
  • 3. What is the scientific name of the golden hamster?
A) Phodopus sungorus
B) Phodopus campbelli
C) Mesocricetus auratus
D) Phodopus roborovskii
  • 4. Who captured and imported the hamsters from Aleppo in 1930?
A) George Robert Waterhouse
B) Israel Aharoni
C) Alexander Fleming
D) Leonard Goodwin
  • 5. The entire domestic Syrian hamster population is believed to descend from what kind of group?
A) A single brother–sister pairing
B) A colony of fifty hamsters
C) Hamsters found in Europe
D) Multiple unrelated wild pairs
  • 6. What has been observed regarding the genetic variability of domestic Syrian hamsters compared to wild ones?
A) Identical genetic variability
B) Reduced genetic variability
C) Increased genetic variability
D) No genetic variability
  • 7. Leonard Goodwin claimed most hamsters in the UK were descended from a colony he introduced for what purpose?
A) Food production
B) Pet trade
C) Medical research
D) Pest control
  • 8. By what year were hamsters being kept as pets in the United States?
A) 1930
B) 1942
C) 1939
D) 1839
  • 9. Which hamster species is often incorrectly called the 'Russian dwarf'?
A) Syrian hamster
B) Campbell's dwarf hamster
C) Roborovski hamster
D) Winter white dwarf hamster
  • 10. Which hamster species changes its coat color to almost white when daylight hours decrease?
A) Roborovski hamster
B) Winter white dwarf hamster
C) Syrian hamster
D) Campbell's dwarf hamster
  • 11. Which species is noted for being extremely small and fast?
A) Winter white dwarf hamster
B) Campbell's dwarf hamster
C) Syrian hamster
D) Roborovski hamster
  • 12. What is the genus for the three species of dwarf hamsters mentioned?
A) Mus
B) Phodopus
C) Cricetus
D) Mesocricetus
  • 13. What parts of their body do hamsters use to dig?
A) Only their forelegs and teeth
B) Only their paws and claws
C) Forelegs, hindlegs, snouts, and teeth
D) Only their snouts and hindlegs
  • 14. At what depth do Syrian hamsters generally dig their burrows?
A) 30 cm
B) 100 cm
C) 50 cm
D) 70 cm
  • 15. What is the diameter of a Syrian hamster's burrow entrance pipe?
A) 8–10 cm
B) 1–2 cm
C) 12–15 cm
D) 4–5 cm
  • 16. What is the purpose of the blind-ending branch in a Syrian hamster's burrow?
A) Urination
B) Food storage
C) Nesting
D) Hiding from predators
  • 17. Which animal's tunnels does the Djungarian hamster use?
A) Mouse
B) Rabbit
C) Mole
D) Pika
  • 18. At what age do Syrian and Russian hamsters become fertile?
A) 6 months
B) 2–3 months
C) 3–4 months
D) 4–5 weeks
  • 19. How often are female hamsters in estrus?
A) Every four days
B) Every two weeks
C) Once a month
D) Once a week
  • 20. What is a sign of a female hamster in estrus?
A) Increased appetite
B) Change in coat color
C) A musky smell
D) Loss of fur
  • 21. How can you visually distinguish a mature male hamster from a female when seen from above?
A) The female has a brighter coat
B) The female has a longer tail
C) A male's tail line bulges on both sides
D) The male is always larger
  • 22. How long is the female hamster's reproductive life?
A) About 12 months
B) About 18 months
C) About 24 months
D) About 6 months
  • 23. What is the gestation period for Syrian hamsters?
A) 16 to 18 days
B) 21 to 23 days
C) 23 to 30 days
D) 18 to 21 days
  • 24. What is the gestation period for Roborovski hamsters?
A) 23 to 30 days
B) 16 to 18 days
C) 18 to 21 days
D) 21 to 23 days
  • 25. What is the maximum number of pups a Syrian hamster can have in a litter based on uterine capacity?
A) 24
B) 13
C) 30
D) 18
  • 26. What are the primary benefits of a burrow for a hamster in the wild?
A) Temperature buffering and predator protection
B) Social interaction with other hamsters
C) Better visibility of the surroundings
D) Easy access to water and light
  • 27. What is the quality of a hamster's eyesight?
A) Average
B) Poor
C) Superhuman
D) Excellent
  • 28. What color vision do hamsters have?
A) Monochromatic
B) Colorblind
C) Full spectrum
D) Red-green deficient
  • 29. In what range can hamsters hear and communicate?
A) Ultrasonic range
B) Sonic range only
C) Infrasonic range
D) Only low frequencies
  • 30. What type of eaters are hamsters?
A) Omnivores
B) Carnivores
C) Herbivores
D) Insectivores
  • 31. What is the biological term for hamsters eating their own feces?
A) Fermentation
B) Coprophagy
C) Hoarding
D) Hibernation
  • 32. Where do hamsters store food for later?
A) Underground burrows only
B) Paws
C) Cheek pouches
D) Stomach
  • 33. What happens to the size of a hamster's head when its cheeks are full?
A) It turns blue
B) It doubles or triples in size
C) It becomes smaller
D) It stays the same size
  • 34. How do most hamsters interact socially?
A) They only live in pairs
B) They are strictly solitary
C) They prefer large groups
D) They are always social
  • 35. What does research suggest about hamster activity patterns?
A) They are primarily crepuscular
B) They never move
C) They are strictly diurnal
D) They are only awake at noon
  • 36. Do pet Syrian hamsters hibernate?
A) Only when sick
B) Yes, every winter
C) No
D) Only if left outside
  • 37. What do hamsters use to leave a scent trail?
A) Scent glands
B) Saliva
C) Urine only
D) Fur shedding
  • 38. What do hamsters in the Middle East hunt in packs?
A) Seeds
B) Grass
C) Insects
D) Small rodents
  • 39. When do hamsters lose weight?
A) Summer
B) Spring
C) Autumn
D) Winter
  • 40. How can hamsters indicate stress if housed together?
A) Sleeping more
B) Fighting fiercely
C) Grooming each other
D) Hoarding more food
  • 41. Which language is the word 'hamster' a loanword from?
A) Greek
B) Latin
C) German
D) French
  • 42. What is the collective noun for a group of hamsters?
A) flock
B) horde
C) colony
D) pack
  • 43. Which of these is a fossil genus mentioned in the text?
A) Mesocricetulus
B) Cricetus
C) Collimys
D) Mesocricetus
  • 44. Which of these is NOT a reported color for hamster fur?
A) Honey
B) Yellow
C) Purple
D) Grey
  • 45. The Persian word 'hamaēstar' is believed to mean what?
A) grain eater
B) oppressor
C) small creature
D) night walker
  • 46. Which fossil genus is noted as being paraphyletic?
A) Colloides
B) Hattomys
C) Cricetulodon
D) Tragomys
  • 47. What describes the bone structure of hamsters?
A) Extremely dense
B) Highly flexible but heavy
C) Somewhat fragile
D) Non-existent in the tail
  • 48. To which order do hamsters belong?
A) Rodentia
B) Muridae
C) Cricetidae
D) Muroidea
  • 49. How many species of hamsters are contained in the subfamily Cricetinae?
A) 19
B) 15
C) 25
D) 7
  • 50. To which broader family do hamsters belong?
A) Arvicolinae
B) Rodentia
C) Cricetidae
D) Muridae
  • 51. With which group are hamsters most closely related within the family Cricetidae?
A) Sigmodontinae
B) Tylomyinae
C) Arvicolinae
D) Neotominae
  • 52. When did the earliest hamsters appear?
A) Middle Miocene
B) Paleocene
C) Early Pliocene
D) Late Pleistocene
  • 53. What is the recommended action for breeding pairs after mating?
A) Keep them together indefinitely
B) Separate the pair
C) Move them to a larger enclosure
D) Add more food to the cage
  • 54. At what age do young hamsters begin to explore outside the nest?
A) Two days
B) One month
C) One week
D) Three weeks
  • 55. How long do Roborovski hamsters often live in captivity?
A) One year
B) Five years
C) Three years
D) Six months
  • 56. What is a major risk of keeping male and female Chinese hamsters together after mating?
A) Intersexual aggression
B) They will become lethargic
C) They will mate too frequently
D) They will stop eating
  • 57. What is the primary purpose of a hamster show besides judging?
A) Sharing enthusiasm for hamsters
B) Selling hamster food
C) Vaccinating hamsters
D) Training hamsters for tricks
  • 58. What happens during a hamster show involving the participating animals?
A) A race
B) An exhibition
C) A surgery
D) An adoption drive
  • 59. Which viral disease was linked to imported hamsters in Hong Kong?
A) Ebola
B) Rabies
C) SARS-CoV-2
D) H1N1
  • 60. How many hamsters were potentially affected by the Hong Kong cull announcement?
A) 10,000
B) 500
C) 2,000
D) 50
  • 61. What method did some activists use to help owners keep their pets during the cull threat?
A) Hiding them in basements
B) bribing government officials
C) Moving them to another country
D) Forging purchase receipts
  • 62. Which part of a baby hamster is used to study cholesterol synthesis?
A) Heart
B) Brain
C) Liver
D) Kidneys
  • 63. Which part of an adult hamster is used to study cholesterol synthesis?
A) Stomach
B) Ovaries
C) Eyes
D) Lungs
  • 64. Which animal is also known as the maned hamster?
A) Maned rat
B) Mouse-like hamster
C) White-tailed rat
D) Cricetinae
  • 65. To which subfamily are true hamsters classified?
A) Cricetidae
B) Sciuridae
C) Cricetinae
D) Muridae
  • 66. Which of these is explicitly listed as a similar rodent sometimes mistaken for a hamster?
A) White-tailed rat
B) Gerbil
C) Guinea pig
D) Chipmunk
  • 67. What was the cutoff date for hamsters subject to the Hong Kong cull?
A) 15 December 2021
B) 22 December 2021
C) 1 January 2022
D) 10 January 2022
  • 68. What is the scientific name for the maned rat?
A) Lophiomys imhausi
B) Mystromys albicaudatus
C) Calomyscus
D) Cricetinae
  • 69. What was the government's approach to getting citizens to turn in their pets?
A) Financial incentive
B) Door to door search
C) Strongly encouraged
D) Mandatory seizure
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