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Guinea pigs are rodents, or rather, part of the guinea pig family. You won’t see them at family outings, but they are cousins of mice, rats, squirrels, hamsters, porcupines, and more. Like most rodents, the guinea pig has a sturdy body, shortened limbs, a large head, and short ears.
The coat of these rodents can be hard or smooth and even silky. The color can be brown, white, cream, chocolate brown, black, or colored pattern.
There are several breeds of domestic guinea pigs grouped by coat length and texture. These are large rodents. The size can be eight to 16 inches in length and weighs approximately one to three pounds. Also, unlike many rodents, you cannot see their tails as they are not external.
These creatures are found throughout the world, with only a few species living in the wild. Wild animals include:
- Brazilian guinea pig from Colombia, Venezuela and Argentina
- The shiny guinea pig native to eastern Brazil
- Guinea pigs are rocks from Peru to Chile and northwestern Argentina.
- Great guinea pig from southeastern Brazil and Uruguay
- The Moleques do Sul guinea pig, bounded by an island in the Moleques do Sul archipelago off the southern coast of Brazil.
Society has domesticated animals over 3000 years ago. It began in Peru around the same time that humanity was transitioning from a nomadic lifestyle to a society influenced by agriculture.
How big are guinea pigs?
Compared to other rodents, guinea pigs are classified as oversized by the animal community. For example, an adult domestic mouse is up to four inches tall (from nose to tail). Squirrels are about 15 inches in size, and their tails are conspicuously taking up most of their length. Adult guinea pigs can grow up to 16 inches in length.
But no matter how big these animals were, history shows how big they were. Let’s take a look at the largest recorded guinea pig in history.
Meet Goya, the biggest guinea pig in the books
In May 2000, a group of Venezuelan researchers discovered fossilized bones in the South American Urumako desert. Opening the jaw, the researchers were shocked to find that they had found a rodent that was 10 times larger than any other on record. The bones were excavated at Tio Gregorio. The surrounding communities called this region Goya, and therefore they gave the name to the newly found fossil.
Closer examination of the bones revealed that the fossil most likely belonged to a guinea pig. In particular, it was the caviomorph, the cousin of the modern marines. The giant guinea pig, recently named Goya, belonged to Phoberomys pattersoni variety.
According to the study, the researchers determined that the large guinea pig fossils had a mass of 1,500 pounds and an estimated body length of about nine feet. As a result, the guinea pig was the size of a cow or buffalo.
The animal probably grazed on the lush shores of South America more than eight million years ago. It is believed that Urumako was home to giants at the time. This region has been the key to many mysteries related to animal evolution and paleontology.
The large creature had an exceptionally long tail for balancing the hind leg and large teeth that grew steadily throughout the guinea pig’s life. Like the capybara, a giant sea rodent, it was semi-aquatic and probably fed along river banks.
Of the 5,000 mammals that walk the Earth today, about 2,000 are rodents. The smallest weighs only a pound or so. The largest of these are the capybara family, and can range in weight from 75 to 100 pounds. The fossil weighed about 1,000 pounds.
The find raised many questions about the direction and pace of evolution, as well as economies of scale. Goya, the largest of the ancient guinea pigs, felt comfortable in the water and on land. He lived among turtles, huge shells and catfish.
It is believed that due to its size and strength Foberomis dealt with several enemies. Predators could include 30-foot crocodiles, carnivores, flightless birds, and lion-sized marsupials.
V Foberomis were previously identified by finds of isolated teeth and other bone fragments. But no other expedition imagined the enormous size of the animal and did not associate it with a guinea pig. But after realizing what kind of mammal they were dealing with, the study turned to how these massive creatures manipulated their weight compared to the current creature.
How Goya survived
Science suggests that the largest guinea pig probably used a different gait. Rodents usually stand up as if they are about to do an exercise, especially if they are about to do push-ups. This meant that the hind legs were bent at the knees, as you could see the mouse. Large mammals usually stand with straight legs. Since the capybara stood like a sheep, Goya probably stood even straighter. From a distance, instead of a giant guinea pig, you might think you are witnessing a cow or a buffalo.
You might also think that Goya’s size would be problematic, especially given the amount of food he would need. It is believed that the size of the largest guinea pig really helped the animal to ferment vegetable cellulose efficiently in vats.
The scientific community believes that giant rodents became extinct because they were slow and could not escape from flexible, limbed predators. Mother Nature turned giants into smaller rodents with short legs that could quickly run away from predators, hide in burrows, and for creatures like mice, slip through tiny crevices.
Feeding was not a problem for the rodents. He had teeth perfect for grinding abrasive products. Like the cow, the giant guinea pig’s survival was likely dependent on microorganisms in the intestines. These little creatures got a lot of food from the grass, preserving it and keeping the animals healthy.
In larger animals, the larger the intestines, the faster energy is supplied from the fermenting herb. Conversely, the larger the animal, the more energy is stored and the less food is required.
Do you want one of the biggest guinea pigs?
If you want to get to the largest of them as close to today as possible, you should take a look at Rex. At 17 inches in adulthood, it is currently the largest breed available. Adult, it is 50% larger than other species and twice the size of its American cousin. They are not common in the States, but you can find a breeder for this rare animal.
Next: what do lynxes eat?
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