Syrian Hamster Color Genetics

Syrian hamsters have 22 pairs of chromosomes and some of the genes within those chromosomes determine what the hamster will look like.

Syrian hamster color genetics. Hamster colours are known as either agouti or self. Here we use a comparative genomic approach to generate a molecular genetic map of the syrian hamster. But over the years a number of mutations appeared and now you can find a wide range of colours and coat types some being common and other rare. I set up this site on in order to create a nice place where people could come learn about hamster genetics learn the correct names and gene codes for a hamsters colours and also to record genetic abnormalities in hamsters such as chimerism and mosaicism.

An agouti hamster has cheek flashes and crescents where a self hamster does not. It is an unusual gene which is not simply either dominant or recessive. In the wild syrian hamsters were basically all the same color. Welcome to hamster genetics.

There is a common syrian color gene which masks the anopthalmic gene. Syrian hamsters can come in many different colorsincluding gray black yellow red or a mixture of several different colors. Examples of agouti hamsters include the golden yellow cinnamon and grey. The main gene that fits this description in the syrian hamster is yellow to.

X linked determinants of this pattern recognized by variegation in females but not in males have been described in the domestic cat as orange and in the syrian hamster as sex linked yellow sly but are curiously absent from other vertebrate species. The genes that determine that color were passed from generation to generation producing hamsters that were basically the same color golden. Since this is again a pure white hamster any pattern such as the roan pattern is not visible. Beige hamsters sometimes have a kinked tail.

A self is the same colour all over the body. Examples of self hamsters include the black cream mink and sable. The syrian hamster is commonly called golden hamster referring to the wild colour. How are genes passed from parents to hamster pups.

This color is called golden. On our instagram page i ve started a series of genetics posts that hopefully teach syrian hamster genetics in an way that is easily understood by everyone even without a background in genetics or biology. Syrian hamsters to study the biology and genetics of sex linked yellow together with other coat color variants and confirmed that the mutation behaves similarly to what was originally reported robinson 1966 1972. It is an unusual gene which is not simply either dominant or recessive.

Chromosomes exist in sister like pairs. Some have been standardized by clubs for show purposes.