GUINEA PIGS

Cavia Porcellus

Key Facts

SIZE: Around 13cm tall
WEIGHT: 0.7 – 1.2Kg
DIET: Fresh leafy green vegetables, hay, grass.
LIFE SPAN: 4 – 8 years in captivity
CONSERVATION STATUS: Not Endangered
DISTRIBUTION: South America

Did You Know?

When a guinea pig is happy and excited, it will often ‘popcorn’. Which is a sudden jump often accompanied with a little squeak!

Habitat

Guinea pigs are from various regions of South America, It is believed Spanish explorers brought guinea pigs back from the Andes of South America to Europe, where they were kept as exotic pets. Guinea Pigs are found across the South American continent, in open areas ranging from moist savannas to thorn forest and scrub desert. They live in low elevations right up to 16,000 feet (5,000 metres).

Adaptions

They have sharp teeth for gnawing and impeccable hearing even at high frequencies which helps them identify predators- This makes up for their very poor eyesight. Guinea Pigs are closely related to the rodent family including Rats, Mice, Gerbils and Hamsters but are actually more closely related to Porcupines, Capybara and Chinchillas.

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