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The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig (Cavia porcellus), also known as the cavy or domestic cavy (/ ˈ k eɪ v i / KAY-vee), is a species of rodent belonging to the genus Cavia, family Caviidae. Breeders tend to use the name "cavy" for the animal, but "guinea pig" is more commonly used in scientific and laboratory contexts. [ 1 ]
These cavies lack sexual dimorphism, which differs from other cavies, among whom males are usually larger than females. [7] Their cylindrical bodies are in shades of brown or gray and are carried by short limbs. These guinea pigs have coarse, long fur with longer fur in the neck region and no fur on the ears.
Sexual maturity and thus the earliest age at which mammals can reproduce varies dramatically across species. Members of the rodent family Cricetidae can reach sexual maturity in 1–2 months, e.g. the Norway lemming (Lemmus lemmus) in 39 days.
The Brazilian guinea pig (Cavia aperea) (preá in Portuguese) is a wild guinea pig species found in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela. [ 2 ] Cavia aperea has been successfully mated to the domestic guinea pig, Cavia porcellus , though many females become infertile in successive generations. [ 3 ]
The Tanner scale (also known as the Tanner stages or sexual maturity rating (SMR)) is a scale of physical development as pre-pubescent children transition into adolescence, and then adulthood. The scale defines physical measurements of development based on external primary and secondary sex characteristics , such as the size of the breasts ...
Female pigs reach sexual maturity at 3–12 months of age and come into estrus every 18–24 days if they are not successfully bred. The variation in ovulation rate can be attributed to intrinsic factors such as age and genotype, as well as extrinsic factors like nutrition, environment, and the supplementation of exogenous hormones.
[22] [43] Archaeological evidence suggests that pigs were domesticated from wild boar as early as 13,000–12,700 BCE in the Near East in the Tigris Basin, [44] being managed in the wild in a way similar to the way they are managed by some modern New Guineans. [45] Remains of pigs have been dated to earlier than 11,400 BCE in Cyprus.
Cavia is a genus in the subfamily Caviinae that contains the rodents commonly known as the true guinea pigs or cavies. [1] The best-known species in this genus is the domestic guinea pig, Cavia porcellus, a meat animal in South America and a common household pet outside that continent.