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Monday, December 15, 2008

Macro Monday



This is one of my sister's pets, guinea pig. I'll post the other two next week. They usually eat vegetables and fruits like carrots, cucumber, spinach, apples and many more guinea pig foods.

To those who love to view Macro Monday photos, visit Lisa's Chaos and if you can try to join this wonderful meme. See you there!!!

The guinea pig is also commonly called the Cavy after its scientific name, Cavia porcellus is a species of rodent belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus Cavia. Despite their common name, these animals are not pigs, nor do they come from Guinea. They originated in the Andes, and studies based on biochemistry and hybridization suggest they are domesticated descendants of a closely related species of cavy such as Cavia aperea, C. fulgida or C. tschudii, and therefore do not exist naturally in the wild.The guinea pig plays an important role in the folk culture of many Indigenous South American groups, especially as a food source, but also in folk medicine and in community religious ceremonies. Since the 1960s, efforts have been made to increase consumption of the animal outside South America.

In Western societies, the guinea pig has enjoyed widespread popularity as a household pet since its introduction by European traders in the 16th century. Their docile nature, their responsiveness to handling and feeding, and the relative ease of caring for them, continue to make the guinea pig a popular pet. Organizations devoted to competitive breeding of guinea pigs have been formed worldwide, and many specialized breeds of guinea pig, with varying coat colors and compositions, are cultivated by breeders.

Guinea pig is also used as a metaphor in English for a subject of experimentation; this usage became common in the first half of the 20th century. Biological experimentation on guinea pigs has been carried out since the 17th century; the animals were frequently used as a model organism in the 19th and 20th centuries, but have since been largely replaced by other rodents such as mice and rats. They are still used in research, primarily as models for human medical conditions such as juvenile diabetes, tuberculosis, scurvy, and pregnancy complications.

Guinea pigs are large for rodents, weighing between 700 and 1200g or 1.5-2.5 pounds, and measuring between 20 and 25 cm or 8–10 inches in length. They typically live an average of four to five years, but may live as long as eight years. According to the 2006 Guinness Book of Records the longest living guinea pig survived 14 years, 10.5 months.

Source: Wikipedia


norm

16 comments:

Reader Wil said...

Well that's interesting information! I didn't know this about the guinea pig. It looks like a sweet pet.
Thanks for your warm birthday wishes. I appreciate that. Fact is that many people around the world are expressing more warmth and love than we in Holland. We want to be cordial, but are shy to show our feelings. We live in a colder climate I think that's why. Hugs, Wil

Anonymous said...

So cute!

Lynn said...

we used to have guinea pigs before and there's this type of grass that they eat...i forgot the name. :)

anyways, got something for u here ate norm...

http://tweetartz.blogspot.com/2008/12/shot-on-spot.html

Anonymous said...

Learned something today!

Unknown said...

I now know much more than I ever knew before about these little cavies. :) I love the coloring of that one!

Melli said...

My daughter used to have a guinea pig. I never saw a black and white one though... he's a pretty little thing!

Sherrie said...

Hi!
Guinea Pigs are cute. My son had one when he was little. Thanks for sharing all that interesting info on the Guinea Pig.

Sherrie

CameoRoze (Margaret) said...

Makes you want to feel the fuzz on the little guy's head.
Cameo @-->-->---

Anonymous said...

Awww! So cute! Great shots!

Paz

PinayWAHM said...

Nagulat ako sa picture ng ano ba yun...daga? Guinea pig? Hehe...

Hi Norm...musta na?

Juliana

Sandy said...

That's a funny looking guinea pig. They do make cute pets, we had one when the boys were little. When I died, I was the only one that cried.

Butchay said...

cute and very informative...how are you na normz? got a tag for you bythe way

http://butcholle.blogspot.com/2008/12/mariucas-bear.html

bluedreamer27 said...

oh they were so cute!!!!!
we had one guinea pig before but then he died after a week
so sad
have a great day ate norms

bluedreamer27 said...

hello ate norm just visiting you here again
have a great day and thanks for the visits as well
its well appreciated
have a great day and God bless
and have a great holidays

Lynn said...

got something for u here ate norm..

http://www.lynnschicspot.com/2008/12/things-i-am-thankful-for-this-year.html

Pretty Life Online said...

very informative!!! What's up sis? Hope to see you back at my corner too...

 
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