Guinea pig
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Guinea pigs (also called Cavies)rodents belonging tofamily Cavidae andgenus Cavia. Contrarypopular belief, caviesnot pigs, nor docome from Guinea. Although theremore than 20 different species,one most familiarpeopleC. porcellus,common guinea pig. The majorityinformationthis articleaboutcommon guinea pig.
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2 General 3 Domestic Guinea Pigs 4 External links |
History
The common guinea pig was first domesticated byIncaSouth America,whatnow Peru. They continuebe an important food source, subsisting offfamily's vegetable scraps ashalf pet/half future entree. Guinea pigs aredishhonor at some Peruvian wedding feastsplayroleevil-spirit collectortraditional healing rituals.
DutchEnglish traders brought guinea pigsEurope, wherequickly became popular as exotic pets. Howcamebe thoughtas "pigs" isn't known exactly, but itthought that some ofsoundsmake reminded peoplepigs. This didn't happen onlyEnglish;German wordthemMeerschweinchen, literally "Little Sea Pigs" andDutch usedcallguinees biggetje (Guinean piglet).
The origin"guinea" intitle guinea pigharderexplain. One theorythatanimals were broughtEurope by wayGuineapeople camethinkhad come from there. Another theorythey were sold asclosesttopig you could get forguinea, an old British coin withvalue21 shillings (1.05 GBP inmodern decimal currency). SinceDutch name refersGuinea rather than toBritish coin andfact thatfirst guinea pig was described1554 bySwiss naturalist Konrad Gesner (more thanhundred years beforefirst guinea was struck),former theory may be more likely.
General
Guinea pigslargerodents, weighing between 13 poundsmeasuring 10-15 inches long. They live five years on average withmaximum age rumoredbe eight. Theysocial, inwild livingsmall groups which consistsows (females),boar (male), andyoung, which inbreak withpreceding porcine nomenclaturecalled pups. The gestation lasts from 6070 days, whichquite longsuchsmall animal. Asconsequence pupsalready well developed (including furteeth) when theyborn.
Unlike many rodents such as mice, rats, or squirrels, guinea pigsnot very athletic. Jumping, climbing,fearlessness infaceheights were not skills guinea pigs needed inenvironmentwhichevolved.
Guinea pigs inwild live on grassy plainsoccupy an ecological niche similarthat ofcow. They move togethersmall groups (herds) eating grass or whatever other plantscome across. They tendbe most active during dawndusk, when itharderpredatorsspot them. If startledcan runcoversurprising speed.
Domestic Guinea Pigs
Domesticated guinea pigs comemany varieties which have been developed since their arrivalEuropeNorth America. These varieties vary widelyhaircolor composition. The most common varieties foundpet stores areEnglish Short Hair which hassmooth, glossy, short coat, andAbyssinian which hasrough coat madecowlicks, crests,swirls called rosettes. Eachthese varieties come innumbercolorscolor patterns
Guinea pigsoften used asmetaphor forsubjectscientific experimentation. This notion persists even though guinea pigsnot commonly used as modern experimental animals. Inpasthad been usedisolate different bacterial strains, butmodern labshave been replaced by micerats, which reproduce more quickly.
Like humans but unlike most other mammals, Guinea pigs cannot synthesize their own vitamin C but must obtain this vital nutrient fromfoodeatstay healthy. Like humans, if guinea pigs cannot get enough vitamin Cwill suffer from scurvyultimately die.
- Cavia porcellus
- Cavia aperea
- Cavia tschudii
- Cavia guianae
- Cavia anolaimae
- Cavia nana
- Cavia fulgida
- Cavia magna
External links
