Rodent to learn about.
The guinea pig is a small species of rodent that is found inhabiting the central andes mountains in south america. Guinea pigs were named after guyana where they found in the wild and a pig resembling their short and stout bodies. Guinea pigs have been domesticated by people over 3,000 years as they were originally kept and formed as a source of food. When guinea pigs arrived in south america in the 1500s they were more selectively bred to be kept as pets we know today they are one of the most common domestic household pets, people love all around the world.
Today there are only five guinea pig species found in the wild and there are fourteen domestic guinea pig types all around the world. …show more content…
Guinea pigs have strong, short legs with four toes on their front feet and three on the back. All with sharp claws, that help them when they are burrowing and scrabbling around in the wild. Guinea pigs have a really good sense of smell and hearing that coupled with their long whiskers it gives the guinea pig a heightened awareness of changes in their surroundings so they can detect predators more effectively. Domestic guinea pigs can be found in a variety of different colours with different hair lengths and smoothness. One of the most characteristic features of a guinea pig is that they are all rodents compared to other mammal