Differential interference contrast (DIC) light micrograph of hamster (subfamily Cricetinae, left) and muntjac deer (Muntiacus sp., right) chromosomes. Chromosomes are a packaged form of a cell's genetic material DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). The DNA condenses into chromosomes during cell replication. Each chromosome consists of two identical strands (chromatids), aligned parallel to each other and joined at an area called the centromere. The chromosome at bottom left is a dicentric chromosome, that is it has two centromeres. This can lead to incorrect segregation during mitosis (nuclear division). Giemsa stain.