Common guinea pig
| Common guinea pig | ||||||||||||
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Wild guinea pig ( Cavia aperea ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Cavia aperea | ||||||||||||
| Erxleben , 1777 |
The common or wild guinea pig ( Cavia aperea ) is a species of mammal from the family of guinea pigs (Caviidae) within the order of rodents (Rodentia). For a long time, it was considered the parent form (or one of the parent forms) of the domestic guinea pig . More and more recent molecular studies have provided more and more indications that domestic guinea pigs are descended from Tschudi guinea pigs .
Outwardly, it differs from domestic guinea pigs by its uniform gray or brown color, its rather rough, long fur and its somewhat smaller size. It becomes about 20 cm long and can weigh 700 to 1500 g.
These animals inhabit a number of habitats, including grassy areas and mountainous regions up to over 4000 meters above sea level. They are crepuscular animals that prefer burrows or caves they have dug themselves and live together in small groups of five to ten animals. Since guinea pigs cannot see very well, their hearing and sense of smell are extremely well trained to protect them from predators. It is 5 to 8 years old.
Common guinea pigs are found in almost all of South America (with the exception of Colombia and Venezuela , the Amazon basin and the extreme south of the continent).
Systematics
The systematics within the genus of real guinea pigs ( Cavia ), to which these animals also belong, is still largely unclear. The Tschudi guinea pig ( C. tschudii ) and the house guinea pig ( C. porcellus ) are mostly recognized as separate species today.
The following species are also considered to be either species or subspecies:
- Cavy (aperea) guianae ( Venezuela , Guyana )
- Cavia (aperea) anolaimae ( Bogotá area , Colombia )
- Cavia (aperea) nana ( Western Bolivia )
Further subspecies are:
- Cavia aperea resida ( Brazil , State of São Paulo )
- Cavia aperea festina ( Peru )
- Cavia aperea hypoleuca ( Paraguay )
- Cavia aperea pamparum ( Argentina and Uruguay )
- Cavia aperea sodalis ( Bolivia )
- Cavia aperea osgoodi ( Peru )
genetics
As a genetic investigation shows, in wild guinea pigs (Cavia aperea) after a two-month stay in a warmer environment, an epigenetic change in the genetic material of the fathers is passed on to their sons. The changes were mainly observed in those genes that carry information for protein molecules to protect against heat. The wild guinea pig is the first wild animal in which this flexible genetic modification of the DNA was detected.
Web links
- Cavia aperea inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Dunnum, J., Zeballos, H., Vargas, J., Bernal, N., Brito, D., Queirolo, D. Pardinas, U. & D'Elia, G., 2008. December 2013.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Alexandra Weyrich , Dorina Lenz, Marie Jeschek, Tzu Hung Chung, Kathrin Rübensam, Frank Göritz, Katarina Jewgenow, Jörns Fickel: Molecular Paternal intergenerational epigenetic response to heat exposure in male Wild guinea pigs (December 19, 2015) . In: Molecular Ecology . 25, No. 8, April 25, 2016, pp. 1729-1740. doi: 10.1111 / mec.13494 . Retrieved November 7, 2019. "Abstract" .