Natural History

 Guinea pigs—also known as cuyes, cobayos, or curíes—belong to a family of rodents called Caviids (Caviidae), native to South America. This family is composed of two subfamilies: Caviinae and Dolichotinae, although some authors place capybaras in a third subfamily, Hydrochoerinae. The former have robust bodies and ears with short legs, while the latter have rabbit-like bodies with long, slender legs and ears. However, all members of the Caviidae family share certain characteristics: a large, rectangular head, a very small or absent tail, four toes on the forelimbs, and three on the hind limbs (Hixon, 2011).

These rodents can inhabit a wide range of environments, including wetlands, floodplains, tropical and dry regions, mountainous areas, and high-altitude grasslands. Some species occupy semi-arid grasslands, arid steppes, and high mountain ecosystems. Their geographic distribution extends from northern Colombia to southern Patagonia, although they are absent from Chile and parts of the Amazon (Dunnum & Salazar-Bravo, 2010). This group first appeared around 20 million years ago, with a major diversification occurring between 5 and 2 million years ago. Among the species associated with humans as food and pets are those of the genera Cavia and Kerodon.