The history of guinea pigs.
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Guinea pigs were raised in the South American Andes mountains primarily for food. Called cuys, they reproduce rapidly and have large litters. Today they are connected with religious ceremonies throughout South America, including feasts associated with Christmas, Easter, Carnival and Corpus Christi.
Modern domesticated adult Andean guinea pigs range from eight to eleven inches long and weigh between one and two pounds. They live in harems, approximately one male to seven females. Litters are generally three to four pups, and sometimes as many as eight; the gestation period is three months. Their lifespan is between five and seven years.
Guinea pigs may have been one of the most important food sources in ancient Peru since well before Inca times. Unfortunately, the small size of their bones and the modern tendency to toss them in open garbage heaps--where they are immediately and entirely consumed by dogs--may be an appropriate analogy to explain why guinea pigs seem to be dramatically underrepresented in archaeological bone assemblages. This makes it comparatively harder for archaeologists to pinpoint cavy domestication accurately both in space and time.
Modern domesticated adult Andean guinea pigs range from eight to eleven inches long and weigh between one and two pounds. They live in harems, approximately one male to seven females. Litters are generally three to four pups, and sometimes as many as eight; the gestation period is three months. Their lifespan is between five and seven years.
Guinea pigs may have been one of the most important food sources in ancient Peru since well before Inca times. Unfortunately, the small size of their bones and the modern tendency to toss them in open garbage heaps--where they are immediately and entirely consumed by dogs--may be an appropriate analogy to explain why guinea pigs seem to be dramatically underrepresented in archaeological bone assemblages. This makes it comparatively harder for archaeologists to pinpoint cavy domestication accurately both in space and time.