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