home » For the New Year » Why was the guinea pig called that? Habitat and lifestyle of guinea pigs in the wild Distribution of the guinea pig.

Why was the guinea pig called that? Habitat and lifestyle of guinea pigs in the wild Distribution of the guinea pig.

Guinea pig is what this animal is called in Russia and in two or three other countries. But why a pig, and why a guinea pig? Where did this cute rodent get such a strange name?

Why a pig, it will become clear to you as soon as the pet gets used to the new place, begins to recognize you and understands where the “goodies” come from. An immediate demanding sound, like a grunt or squeal, will provide the answer.

According to another version, the pig owes its name to the Spanish conquerors, who thought they looked like suckling pigs.

Another idea why the guinea pig is called a pig is because the lower parts of the limbs of these rodents are shaped like hooves. In addition, some say that this animal is similar to pigs due to the structure of the head and rather elongated body. In addition, they were bred for meat, just like ordinary pigs in Europe.

And it is not called seafaring because it loves to swim in the sea. Obviously, this word has lost the prefix “for”. The pig was overseas, that is, brought from overseas.

The wild ancestors of our domesticated pigs still live in Peru. Cavy - this is what guinea pigs are called in other countries. Another name for these animals is Cuinea Pig - “pig for a guinea.” Either such pigs cost one guinea, or they were equated in price to one guinea and were used to pay for goods.

While in our country guinea pigs are known as popular pets, in their homeland in Central and South America these small rodents have been bred for thousands of years large quantities They are not meant to be kept as pets. In Peru, guinea pigs have always been bred and are still bred today as food. A special large specimen was even bred here, called Cuy - kui, which means “big”. Such “fodder” pigs can weigh up to four kilograms. Their meat is said to be similar to tender pork. But pigs are not only suppliers of meat for Peruvians; their skin is used to produce clothing and shoes. In addition, no trip to the local healer is complete without this black rodent. For example, it is believed that if a pig is simply applied to a sore stomach, the animal will take the pain upon itself. The local doctor usually takes payment for his services in food. Of course, there are ordinary doctors in the country, but the indigenous people, with their more than modest incomes, cannot afford them. It is interesting that, despite such strange treatment, the local population does not know what oncology and heart attacks are, and they are not familiar with asthma. This animal is highly valued by local residents and is even considered the best gift newlyweds at the wedding.

The answer to the question why the guinea pig is called that is a subject of interest even to those who are far from breeding these animals. There are several versions of the origin of this name. We present a mini-investigation about guinea pigs: where did they get this phrase from, which does not fit with taxonomic definitions - family, genus and species criteria.

The first part of the investigation: why "mumps"

There are 3 versions of why these cute animals are called pigs:

Sounds: what they make really sounds like grunting.

Body proportions: They have no waist, small head and very short neck.

Behavior: Pets are constantly gnawing on something. On ships they were kept in the same pens where ordinary pigs were driven.

Second part. Guinea pig - why "guinea pig"

The name "guinea pig" is borrowed from Polish language- świnka morska. And the Poles, in turn, borrowed it from the Germans - Meerschweinchen. The literal translation is “guinea pig”. There is a possibility that this is a German word derived from merswin, which means “dolphin”. The squeal of rodents really resembles the squeak of a dolphin.

Foreign names

The name of the animal is literally translated from English as Guinea pig. This is another mystery because they have nothing to do with Guinea, which is in Africa. Zoologists have built 3 hypotheses:

“Guinean” means “outlandish”, brought from afar;
it is possible that the animals were sold for 1 guinea coin;
in South America there was a French colony with a similar name - Guiana. The Lubys simply mixed up the letters and began calling the pigs Guinea pigs;
the animals were not imported directly, but through the ports of Guinea, which was also a colonial territory of France.

Guinea pig(lat. Cavia porcellus), I would probably be very surprised if I found out about its Russian-language name, because it has nothing in common with either real pigs or the sea. Then why is it called that way? Everything is very simple: it became “marine” because it was brought from America, i.e. from across the sea. In Europe, it is most often called "Guinea pig", "pig mouse" or "Indian pig". As you can see, only the word “pig” does not cause controversy. Why? Because this animal sometimes makes grunting and squealing sounds, just like its big namesake. Due to its characteristic bite and incisors, it is considered one of the big family rodents Based on recent research, a number of scientists are still of the opinion that guinea pigs should be combined into a new separate subfamily. However, there is no doubt that the original homeland of the animals is the Central and South America , and there is evidence that the history of the existence of guinea pigs goes back 35-40 million years. The domestication of wild guinea pigs began in the ninth-third millennium BC. e. It is likely that these animals themselves came to human homes in search of protection and warmth. Among the Incas guinea pigs were sacrificial animals, which were sacrificed to the sun god. Animals with variegated brown or white colors were especially popular. The ancestor of our guinea pigs is guinea pig Cavia aperea tschudi. It is found in the southern regions of Chile, located at an altitude of 4200 m above sea level, and lives in underground burrows in small groups of five to ten animals. By appearance and the body structure is very different from our guinea pigs, which is due to the food, depleted in water and rich in cellulose, but there are no differences in terms of food intake and fertility.

Of the hundreds of species of small mammals, only a few are suitable for keeping in a city apartment. These types include Guinea pigs, which are bred not only in vivariums of research institutes, but also at home.

A guinea pig is easier to keep than a dog or cat., and this animal brings no less aesthetic pleasure. The dog should be taken for walks regularly in any weather; During a walk, especially in the rain, it gets dirty and has to be washed in the bath. The cat, however, does not need a walk, the room is enough for her, but she loves to sharpen her claws on upholstered furniture and after a while makes it look unkempt.

A guinea pig is another matter. It requires only a little attention and a little space for the cage, it is unpretentious, you can always buy food for it, it requires no maintenance. special labor and takes a little time every day. These animals are calmer than dogs and even cats and have many positive qualities, very valuable at home. Children over 8-9 years old can be trusted to care for them on their own, since guinea pigs, as a rule, are good-natured, tame animals.

General information and origin of guinea pigs was last modified: October 16th, 2014 by allpets1

The natural habitat of guinea pigs is South America. Rodents were first described by Christopher Columbus. These small animals with brownish fur looked like rabbits, and local residents eagerly ate their tasty meat. The homeland of wild pigs is Peru and Chile; over time, their distribution area on the mainland has expanded greatly. Now these rodents can be found in many countries of the continent, such as Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia. The animals live in forests, savannas, sandy and rocky areas, where they hide behind rocks to escape predators.

Guinea pigs They live in forests, savannah, sandy and rocky areas of South America.

Real name

In biology, guinea pigs wear Latin name Cavia, which includes several subspecies of South American rodents. The closest species to the domesticated ornamental pig is called kui. - this is what the Germans called the cute, pig-like animals brought from overseas, then the Poles adopted this name, and from them the Russians. The British call guinea pigs “Guinea” - this is a common noun for any phenomenon from exotic countries.

Appearance

Wild guinea pigs are slightly different in appearance from the usual proportions of their domesticated relatives. The cavy's body is smaller and lighter, looks more elongated, and its legs are also longer. , so they rarely get fractures even after falling from a height. Wild cavias are strong, agile, run fast, are able to jump, even climb onto ledges and dig shelters in the sand. This is a lively and nimble animal, instantly takes off at the sound of danger, and has sufficient endurance to cover long distances.

The color of the fur of wild pigs differs most noticeably - forest inhabitants cannot boast of such bright coats as their domesticated counterparts. Cavia's fur is brownish or grayish with red, this color helps them hide from enemies in the savannah and remain unnoticed even by a keen eye birds of prey. The peculiarity of the wool allows animals to carry extreme heat up to 45 degrees, and also survive cold snaps.

Wild guinea pig color grayish with reddish

REFERENCE: Kavias are able to withstand even slight frosts, usually low temperature leads to the death of only weakened, sick animals.

How do wild guinea pigs live?

Cavias are herbivores; most of their life consists of searching for and absorbing plant food. Therefore, guinea pigs usually live in nature in areas where there is plenty of food suitable for them:

seeds and cereal plants;
various types of wild herbs, flowers;
roots, branches of bushes;
leaves, tree bark, their fruits.

If the food runs out or is not enough to feed the flock, the cavities go in search of best place sometimes moving long distances. The life of guinea pigs wildlife is a constant movement forward, exploration of new terrain. , small rivers, but no different great love to the water. Only some subspecies of cavia settle on the banks of water bodies, feeding on aquatic plants.

IMPORTANT: Wild guinea pigs do not require constant proximity to a body of water to quench their thirst. They have enough moisture obtained from juicy fruits, herbs, as well as dew and raindrops collecting on plants.

Rodents move in small flocks of 10-15 adult females, the leader is always the male. Some females look after the cubs during the day, others look for food and guard the territory, then they change roles. The ability to make high-pitched sounds allows pigs to communicate over fairly long distances, warning each other about the approach of an enemy.

Wild guinea pigs differ from domestic ones in having a more elongated body and long legs.

When males from a new generation grow up, an inevitable struggle for power occurs, after which the strongest takes the place of leader, and defeated males leave the pack. Conflicts with other populations are also common when there is a struggle for territory rich in food. But for the most part, kavias are peaceful; clashes within the flock rarely occur; usually, showdowns are limited.

Enemies of guinea pigs in nature

Cavias do not have any means of defense against predatory animals and birds, so their only salvation is to hide well and quickly run away. To hide from view, a rodent can dig a shelter for itself, but kavias cannot really be called burrowing animals. They prefer to use ready-made shelters - caves and crevices in rocks, empty burrows and tree hollows.

Pigs flee from their enemies

REFERENCE: One of the effective means of protection in the wild is the absence of odor. That’s why cavias take such careful care of themselves and their habitat - the smell can show the enemy the path to the pig’s hiding place.

To avoid death, furry rodents come out of hiding mainly at night and at dawn, when most predators are sleeping. Also, the eyes often remain slightly open. The sleeping pig stays in full readiness to escape, therefore it can instantly take off at any sound indicating danger.

Due to the abundance of enemies, wild guinea pigs live much shorter than domestic ones. The lifespan of cavy varies from one to five years, but due to their high reproductive capacity, population sizes do not decrease. Each year, each female brings up to four litters, each of which has up to eight cubs. Little pigs achieve independence very quickly - after just a few days they begin to look for food on their own, and after two weeks they become completely independent.

Video: wild guinea pig

Habitat and lifestyle of guinea pigs in the wild

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The animal’s homeland is America, and it turned into an “overseas pig”, and then completely into a guinea pig. Many people are surprised why cute, furry, rather miniature animals are called pigs, and even sea pigs.

In appearance, they bear little resemblance to piglets, and they cannot stand water treatments.

There is an explanation for this “philological riddle,” but to solve it you will have to take a trip into history.

The homeland of guinea pigs is South America. They are common in the Andes and live in groups in self-dug burrows, just like wild rabbits. The natural color of these rodents is modest and does not differ in variety; it has a gray-black tint.

Indians have long consumed guinea pig meat: it has a delicate and pleasant taste and is considered dietary.

Wild pig. In Peru, these animals are still raised in farms and is served in restaurants as a delicacy.

Of course, when breeding Special attention is not paid to obtaining new colors, like ornamental breeds, but an increase in the size of individuals. Some “meat” pigs reach a weight of 4 kg.

During the discovery and conquest of America, the Spaniards paid attention to funny plump animals with a body and head shape reminiscent of suckling pigs. We tried it and liked it. This is how guinea pigs came to Europe, and then to Asia and Africa. Gradually they began to play exclusively the role of pets.

Linguistic versions of the origin of the name

In Spain, France, Italy and Portugal, the guinea pig is called "Indian". Why? It’s simple, because at first America was considered and called India. The English version is “Guinea” (possibly bought for a guinea; perhaps the British confused America with Guinea, which is closer and more understandable to them).

In Russia, things were even simpler. Why is the guinea pig called so - guinea pig? Was a foreign “unknown animal” brought from overseas? So she's overseas. Gradually, the prefix “for” lost its meaning, and the pig turned into a guinea pig. Obviously, the Germans had the same line of thinking; in Germany, the principle of phrase structure is identical to Russian.

Pigs on a ship - lucky?

With the development of navigation, pigs, living up to their name, began to travel on ships. They were used as food. This was convenient in many ways.

Animals were brought to Europe on ships. These unpretentious compact animals did not take up much space, did not require special care, were flexible, but had excellent meat.

In addition, they got along well with the permanent inhabitants of the holds - rats (relatives, after all), and in times of danger they made sharp and piercing sounds, warning the crew about a possible shipwreck.

In a word, comfortable and profitable “passengers” from all sides.

Tricks of cunning priests

In the time of Columbus, Catholic priests were distinguished by gluttony - they loved to eat delicious food and tried in every possible way to circumvent the strict requirements of fasting. With the discovery of America, they had new opportunities to circumvent the rules.

The “holy fathers” reasoned like this. Guinea pigs are brought on ships by sea. And with them - theirs distant relatives- the world's largest aquatic rodents - capybaras. This means that they can be classified as fish and, accordingly, eaten during fasting.

You got out of it, you can’t say anything!

Why pigs anyway? There are several reasons: