Brazilian Guinea Pig

Brazilian Guinea Pig

Preá (Portuguese)

Kingdom
Phylum
Subphylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Cavia aperea
Population size
Unknown
Life Span
3-10 years
Weight
637
22
goz
g oz 
Length
272
11
mminch
mm inch 

The Brazilian guinea pig (Cavia aperea ) (preá in Portuguese) is a guinea pig species found in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela.

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Cavia aperea has been successfully mated to the domestic guinea pig, Cavia porcellus, though many females become infertile in successive generations.Brazilian guinea pigs are mainly diurnal animals and are narrower and longer than domesticated guinea pigs.

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Di

Diurnal

Cr

Crepuscular

He

Herbivore

Fo

Folivore

Gr

Granivore

Te

Terrestrial

Pr

Precocial

Gr

Grazing

Zo

Zoochory

Te

Territorial

Po

Polygyny

So

Social

No

Not a migrant

B

starts with

Appearance

Brazilian guinea pigs are medium-sized animals. They have an almost non-existent tail, which length is only 2.4 mm. Their dorsal fur is dark olive-brown mixed with brown and black. The underparts are a pale grey or yellowish-grey. These pigs have four toes on their forefeet and three toes on their hind feet. Males in this species are larger than females.

Video

Distribution

Geography

Brazilian Guinea pigs are found in South America. Thier range extends from Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela to northern Argentina. They inhabit open grasslands and savannahs and also may be found in the highlands of the Andes mountains.

Climate zones

Habits and Lifestyle

Brazilian guinea pigs are mainly diurnal creatures. They live in small family groups that consist of one male, one or two females, and their young. These guinea pigs come out to forage in small groups mainly early in the morning and in the evening. After that they seek cover in dense shrubs. They do not dig burrows but make an intricate maze of surface tunnels that are 8 to 12 cm (3 to 5 in) wide. Brazilian guinea pigs communicate through auditory signals and scent marks. Males are known to mark their mates and defend them from rival males.

Seasonal behavior

Diet and Nutrition

Brazilian guinea pigs are herbivorous animals. They graze on grasses and other herbs. However, their diet may also include leaves, seeds, stems, and sometimes roots or tubers.

Mating Habits

MATING BEHAVIOR
REPRODUCTION SEASON
year-round
PREGNANCY DURATION
62 days
BABY CARRYING
2 pups
INDEPENDENT AGE
25 days
BABY NAME
pup

Brazilian guinea pigs are polygynous. A single male mates with multiple females. Breeding takes place at any time of year but mostly in the austral summer. The gestation period is about 62 days and females can have five litters in a year. The average number of young is two but may range from one to five. Soon after birth pups can move on their own. They start eating solid food when they are 3 days old and are weaned by 25 days old. Young Brazilian guinea pigs are ready to breed at around 30 days of age.

Population

Population threats

There are no major threats to Brazilian guinea pigs. They are sometimes hunted for food.

Population number

According to IUCN, Brazilian guinea pigs are locally common and widespread throughout their range but no overall population estimate is available. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.

References

1. Brazilian Guinea Pig on Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_guinea_pig
2. Brazilian Guinea Pig on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/86257782/22189256

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