By: Kim Atienza
One would think that hamsters, in their tiny and fluffy bodies, would be incapable of carrying much weight. But they can, through use of their mouths.
Hamsters, derived from German “hestern” meaning “to hoard,” are able to put food in their mouths that can weigh up to half of its body weight. They store it in their cheeks down to their stomachs.
They are able to turn off their salivary glands so that the food in their cheeks do not sag and so that they do not swallow food easily.
Some of the hamster breeds featured on a recent Matanglawin TV show were the Roborovski Dwarf Hamster and the Winter White Hamster. The Roborovski Dwarf Hamster is the fastest and smallest hamster which can run about eight miles and is only about 2-4 inches in size.
On the other hand, the Winter White Hamster commonly found in Russia, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia can change the color of its fur to camouflage itself depending on the season.
Held sometimeago was the first Philippine Hamster Fair organized by the Philippine Hamster Owners’ Society. In the fair, hamster owners interacted with fellow hamster owners. They also launched beloved pets into friendly contests.
Contests such as worm-eating and hamster ball races were held for the furry little pets.
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TRIVIA PA MORE (Various Sources):
• Philippines’ first Filipino-Spanish dictionary was “Tagala”, which was printed in 1613, 25 years older than the first book printed in the United States.
• Ilo-Ilo golf and country club is the oldest golf club in the Philippines, built in 1908 by Irish engineers.
• Ferdinand Magellan first landed in Limasawa Island. This gave way to the discovery of the Philippines. It was also in Limasawa where the first mass happened.
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Send your questions on anything and everything to Kuya Kim through my Twitter account @kuyakim_atienza using #AlaminKayKuyaKim.
Atingtuklasinangmgabagay-bagayna di niyo pa alam. Walang ’di susuungin, lahataalamin.Ito posiKuya Kim, Matanglawin, only here in Tempo.
