All hail the Great Hamster of Alsace

There's a legitimate news story buried in here, but all I get out of it is that there is a creature called The Great Hamster of Alsace. If that's not a great thing to build an organized religion around, I'll eat this swell pope hat I just made.

Maggie Koerth-Baker is the science editor at BoingBoing.net. She writes a monthly column for The New York Times Magazine and is the author of Before the Lights Go Out, a book about electricity, infrastructure, and the future of energy. You can find Maggie on Twitter and Facebook.

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rgdbk

Read the title and thought “Isn’t that a Python sketch?”
And shouldn’t it be?
- billstewart
  
  Rodents of Unusual Size? I don’t believe they exist!
Jake0748

Maggie, you’re declaring yourself Pope of Hamster Town? Congrats! I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have in the job. :D
Anonymous

“Look, here comes the papal convoy. High Matriarch Koerth-Baker is rolling up in the popemobile and opening the sphere in front of the The Great Running Wheel of Alsace…”
The Hamster King

We approve.
Calimecita

“The European Hamster is fierce but when kept in captivity the aggression is much reduced and some bred in captivity are reported to be docile.
The average lifespan of the European Hamster is 8 years and although kept in laboratories is not often kept as a pet.” (source)

So… unbearably cute with that black vest… larger…lives much longer than the common syrian hamster… and it is a true digger! I’d love to have one, but the keeper of this one says they’re indeed aggressive :-(
hapa

that’s so cute. i don’t know why people ever buy an authentic great hamster of versace.
Gbaji

Can’t top the Least Weasel.
Anonymous

@Calimecita: The one in this video seems pretty aggressive. The guys taking the video were definitely impressed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf06WJQ4FnE
bklynchris

I read the article in the paper and wondered why they hadn’t done a breeding in captivity program. They are VERY cute.

And, how and why did you make a pope hat? Is that a cliche that I have never heard of? Please ‘splain if you will.

Thanks
Utenzil

Clearly, she made a pope hat in order to have get a head start on being the High Matriarch of The Order of the Great Hamster of Alsace.

fwiw, the picture looks like he’s comes with a little jacket included, but a near foot-long hamster is a def a Great Hamster.