|
Guinea pigs (also called
cavies) are rodents belonging to the family Cavidae and the genus
Cavia. Though guinea pigs are currently classified in order Rodentia,
there is some scientific dispute over whether or not they are
actually rodents, as recent evidence from mitochondrial DNA indicates
that Caviidae may belong to a different evolutionary offshoot,
and therefore a different order. Despite their common name, the
animals are not pigs, nor do they come from Guinea. Although there
are more than 20 different species, the one most familiar to people
is C. porcellus, the common guinea pig. The majority of information
in this article is about the common guinea pig. They are considered
by many to be very cute and are very verbal (they squeak) in contact
with humans.
|
|
|
|
|
|
The scientific
name of a common species is Cavia porcellus, with porcellus being
Latin for "little pig." The origin of "guinea"
in the title guinea pig is even harder to explain. One theory
is that the animals were brought to Europe by way of Guinea and
people came to think they had come from there. Another theory
is they were sold as the closest thing to a pig you could get
for a guinea, an old British coin with a value of 21 shillings
(1.05 GBP in the modern decimal currency). Since the Dutch name
refers to Guinea rather than to the British coin and the fact
that the first guinea pig was described in 1554 by the Swiss naturalist
Konrad Gesner (more than a hundred years before the first guinea
was struck), the former theory is more likely.
Above Images
Are From The National Cancer Institute
|
|
|
