Details
Cavia porcellus
A domesticated cavy with roots in the Andes. Its rounded body, short legs, vocal social behavior, and long history with people make it familiar worldwide.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
Wild relatives live in South American grassland and shrubland. Domestic guinea pigs mainly occur under human care rather than as broad wild populations.
They have a compact body, rounded ears, and almost no visible tail. Coat color, length, and texture vary widely among domestic breeds.
They are social and use many calls to signal alarm, contact, and expectation. They prefer cover and quickly retreat when startled.
They feed on grasses, leafy plants, vegetables, and hay. Because they cannot make enough vitamin C, they need it regularly in the diet.
Gestation is relatively long for a rodent, and young are born furred, open-eyed, and mobile. They begin nibbling solid food soon after birth.
The species has been important as food, a laboratory animal, and a companion animal in different cultural settings.
