Brazilian Guinea Pig
Cavia aperea
Unlike many rodents that give birth to helpless young, newborn Brazilian guinea pigs are fully furred, open their eyes immediately, and can run within hours of birth.
- Scientific name
- Cavia aperea
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Mammalia › Rodentia › Caviidae › Cavia
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Open savannas, grasslands, marshes, and agricultural margins with dense vegetative cover
- Diet
- Herbivorous, feeding primarily on grasses, herbs, leaves, seeds, and the bark of small shrubs
- Range
- Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay
- Size
- 20–28 cm in length, weighing 500–700 g
- Lifespan
- 3–5 years in the wild, up to 8 years in captivity
- Active
- crepuscular
- Threats
- Habitat loss from intensive agriculture, predation by feral dogs and cats, and vehicular traffic
- Safe to approach?
- Brazilian guinea pigs are completely harmless and very skittish, fleeing into dense brush when approached. Maintain a respectful distance to avoid causing stress. They rarely bite unless caught and handled; if bitten, wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water to prevent bacterial infection.
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.
Photo: Fernando Sessegolo, CC0, via iNaturalist
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