Zur family of the guinea pigs (Caviidae) still becomes the high-legged ones beside the actual guinea pigs (subfamily Caviinae), put in look and way of life at hares of reminding Maras (subfamily Dolichotinae). The total-spread-area of the family stretches. All guinea pigs possess 4 fore ones and only 3 rear toes as well as rootless, for life growing back cheek-teeth as common characteristic.
Actual guinea pigs (subfamily Caviinae)) All wild actual guinea pigs resemble our broadly known house-guinea pig in shape and size, is, however, wild-colored of course. The head is rather big in the relationship to the torso, legs, ears and tail only are short on the other hand. The hair is quite long above all at the rear-body.
Types, way of life We distinguish altogether 4 types (Cavia, Microcavia, Galea and Kerodon), whose representatives resemble itself very much in the way of life. Only the high-legged, bigger mountain or rock-guinea pig (Kerodon rupestris) does an exception as an inhabitant of rocky regions who even climb on trees here.
The weasel-guinea pig (Galea musteloides) and the southern dwarf-guinea pig (Microcavia australis) populate the region of the Chilean Andes as far as in the Argentinian pampas at the Rio Colorado down.
The types of the type Cavia are the actual game-guinea pigs, of whom the Aperea (Cavia aperea) has the widest spread of Guyana as far as to Argentina (under gap of the Amazonasbeckens). The Tschudi-Meerschweinchen (Cavia aperea tschudii), a subtype of the Aperea, is regarded as the progenitor of our Hausmeerschweinchens. All these wild guinea pig-types of the type Cavia are night-active and dig its holes automatically, an ability, that our house-guinea pig lost.
Reproduction The boys already are very far developed after the long Tragzeit of 60-70 days and begin to nibble plant-parts beside the milk-food, that is also the main-food of the adult animals, from the first day on. All game-guinea pigs probably consume small-creatures beside it as Beikost occasionally.
House-guinea pigs (Cavia aperea f). porcellus) The house-guinea pig was bred not in Europe from the Tschudi-Wildmeerschweinchen but already long time before the Spaniards reached domesticated from the Indios to South America. The animals were thought simply freely of the Native Americans at and in the cottages and were important meat and victim-animals.
Because these small Nager came to Europe over the sea and its lute reminded of the squeal of small piglets, they were called "guinea pigs" at that time what expresses (porcellus = small piglet) itself also in the scientific name. This popular name was retained until today. Game-form brown opposite the monochrome, the fur changed manifold in color and structure. Hardly any house-guinea pig resembles the andern.
Information about the attitude of guinea pigs finds you in the category experience-reports.
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