Established Syrian (golden) hamsters as a SARS-CoV-2 model: inoculated hamsters developed weight loss and lung pathology resembling mild human COVID-19, and transmitted virus efficiently to naive cage-mates by direct contact and aerosol (fomite transmission was less efficient). Infected and contact animals developed neutralizing antibodies. relevance_note: establishes that a small, commonly farmed/traded mammal is highly susceptible and transmits efficiently via air — the strongest experimental-transmission analog among the rodent-sized species that could plausibly amplify virus in crowded market/farm conditions.