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Guinea pig

From Tilcayo Cats, the lean encyclopaedia by Tilcayo Knowledge Systems
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The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) is a domesticated rodent of the cavy family, Caviidae, from South America.[1] The family has six living genera, including the capybara.[2][3]

Wild cavies

The genus Cavia has a fossil record from the late Pliocene onwards.[4] Mammals of South America recognises seven species of Cavia, treating the domestic guinea pig as a separate species; an earlier review in 1993 had accepted five. Wild species are a uniform brown or tan, while domestic guinea pigs have coats of many colours.[5] All Cavia have four toes on the forefeet and three clawed toes on the hind feet, short rounded ears and unpigmented incisors.[4]

Cavies are described as having low sociality, and some as solitary.[2][6] The Brazilian guinea pig (C. aperea) lives in groups of one or two females and one dominant male.[7] Animals in groups forage more efficiently and spend less time watching for danger.[8] Males mark their mates with urine and secretions from the anal gland.[9]

Domestication

Guinea pigs have been domesticated for about 4,500 to 7,000 years, for food and for spiritual uses. Remains of Cavia from archaeological sites in Peru and Colombia are at least 9,000 years old.[4] It was brought to Europe in the 1500s, possibly several times, by the Spanish and the Dutch.[1] Animal Diversity Web says it was probably domesticated from a wild species, now extinct, of northern and western South America.[10]

Description

Domestic guinea pigs weigh up to 1,200 g and are 200 to 500 mm long. Their coat colours vary because of breeding. They now live worldwide as domestic animals.[1]

In science

Guinea pigs have been widely used in laboratory studies of hormones and development, but have rarely been studied in the wild.[11] Their calls have been well described.[12] In captivity, domestic guinea pigs at high density changed from a dominance hierarchy to territorial behaviour. This is the only such change documented among caviomorph rodents, and it may be an effect of captivity.[13] Mothers produce milk for a fixed length of time, whatever the demands of their young.[14]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Patton, James L.; Pardiñas, Ulyses F. J.; D'Elía, Guillermo, eds. (2015). Mammals of South America. Vol. 2: Rodents. University of Chicago Press. p. 700. ISBN 9780226169606.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Patton, James L.; Pardiñas, Ulyses F. J.; D'Elía, Guillermo, eds. (2015). Mammals of South America. Vol. 2: Rodents. University of Chicago Press. p. 690. ISBN 9780226169606.
  3. ↑ Ebensperger, Luis A.; Hayes, Loren D., eds. (2016). Sociobiology of Caviomorph Rodents: An Integrative Approach. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 12. ISBN 9781118846520.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Patton, James L.; Pardiñas, Ulyses F. J.; D'Elía, Guillermo, eds. (2015). Mammals of South America. Vol. 2: Rodents. University of Chicago Press. p. 691. ISBN 9780226169606.
  5. ↑ Patton, James L.; Pardiñas, Ulyses F. J.; D'Elía, Guillermo, eds. (2015). Mammals of South America. Vol. 2: Rodents. University of Chicago Press. p. 692. ISBN 9780226169606.
  6. ↑ Ebensperger, Luis A.; Hayes, Loren D., eds. (2016). Sociobiology of Caviomorph Rodents: An Integrative Approach. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 13. ISBN 9781118846520.
  7. ↑ Ebensperger, Luis A.; Hayes, Loren D., eds. (2016). Sociobiology of Caviomorph Rodents: An Integrative Approach. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 179. ISBN 9781118846520.
  8. ↑ Ebensperger, Luis A.; Hayes, Loren D., eds. (2016). Sociobiology of Caviomorph Rodents: An Integrative Approach. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 181. ISBN 9781118846520.
  9. ↑ Ebensperger, Luis A.; Hayes, Loren D., eds. (2016). Sociobiology of Caviomorph Rodents: An Integrative Approach. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 156. ISBN 9781118846520.
  10. ↑ Hixon, J. (2011). "Cavia porcellus". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan.
  11. ↑ Ebensperger, Luis A.; Hayes, Loren D., eds. (2016). Sociobiology of Caviomorph Rodents: An Integrative Approach. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 49. ISBN 9781118846520.
  12. ↑ Ebensperger, Luis A.; Hayes, Loren D., eds. (2016). Sociobiology of Caviomorph Rodents: An Integrative Approach. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 155. ISBN 9781118846520.
  13. ↑ Ebensperger, Luis A.; Hayes, Loren D., eds. (2016). Sociobiology of Caviomorph Rodents: An Integrative Approach. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 39. ISBN 9781118846520.
  14. ↑ Ebensperger, Luis A.; Hayes, Loren D., eds. (2016). Sociobiology of Caviomorph Rodents: An Integrative Approach. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 288. ISBN 9781118846520.
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