Did You Know?

Science Bit... Class: Mammalia Order: Rodentia Family: Caviidae Domestic species: Cavia porcellus For an online scientific book about guinea pigs, see THE GUINEA PIG: Biology, Care, Identification, Nomenclature, Breeding and Genetics Guinea Pigs...not rodents? This report on a scientific Nature article explains. Facts Bit... Guinea pigs live wild in areas of South America. The Incas used to farm them for food. Even today you can enjoy fried Guinea pig in South America. Wild Guinea pigs are most active at night. Guinea pigs appeared in Europe in the 1500's. Guinea pigs and humans don't make their own vitamin C, so they must always eat fresh vegetables. In the wild they live in groups of 5-10. A young Guinea pig can run when it is only three hours old! They are often used for medical research. That's where we get the term "Guinea Pig" from to describe somebody who volunteers to take part in a test. Some species of wild Cavy can be as long as three feet!