Guinea pig

(Movie)

The house guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) is a mammalian species from the family of guinea pig (Caviidae) and probably closely with the Tschudi-guinea pig (Cavia tschudii) related. In Europe and America are guinea pigs are often kept as pets, because they are easy to approach.

When exactly domesticated guinea pigs (over generations genetically isolated from the wild form required), is not known. Depending on the author Domestikationszeitpunkt between 5000 BC and 2000 BC suspects. An archaeological evidence is due to the small bone quite difficult to make a determination of the molecular Domestikationszeitpunktes after investigations is not yet possible because the mutation rate of eligible gene sequences is not yet known. One is there is only that guinea pig first in the Altiplano region in South America were held. In this area there are still Tschudi-guinea pig.

The oldest finds that clearly the House guinea pigs can be allocated, come from the central highlands of northern Peru. They are around 900 BC. Additional findings are from the coastal plain of Ecuador, dated to 500 BC, and the Moche Valley, dating to 200 BC At that time the house guinea pig been fully domesticated, and had all the characteristics of today's domestic guinea pig. It describes the house guinea pigs 1554 by Konrad Gesler.

In the 16th Century House were guinea pigs to Europe and North America exported. Of these, there were thus all guinea pigs. However, there are still independent, older lines in South America. They are, on average, smaller and scheuer than those in Europe and North America known guinea pig and become edible purposes and ritual purposes.

In Europe, were guinea pigs to the 20th Century also edible purposes. As a laboratory animal, they were in 18th Century discovered.

In recent years, especially from South America great guinea pigs so-called giant guinea pigs bred there in the Intensive mast kept for meat production. In Germany, these animals as Cuys known.

Anatomy
At birth, the weight at about 50 to 140 grams, adult animals weigh between 1000-1300 grams (males) or 800-1200 grams (females). After about a year's growth. The Sexual maturity occurs, but much earlier. The figures fluctuate about something. For a male sexual maturity of 2.5 months for females with about 2 months - with precocious females even with 3 to 4 weeks. The female cycle lasts an average of 18 days.

Guinea pig have seven cervical, twelve thoracic, lumbar six, four sacrum and seven tail vertebrae. Nevertheless, they no visible tail (similar to the human coccyx). The clavicle is back. On the front are four, on the hind paws three toes trained.

The bite of guinea pig has a total of 20 teeth, four of which are cutting and 16 molars (or a cutting, a Prämolar and three molars per jaw half. Between the incisor and the Prämolar there is a large space zahnfreier (→ dental formula). Dental exchange will take place prior to the birth in the womb, so the young animals with the lasting up to two teeth (the third molars) is already full of teeth born. Teeth have roots open, so they stayed grow and be Nagen wears off. Pro weeks they grow 1.2 to 1.5 mm per month, or 5 to 6 mm.

Guinea pigs are pure herbivores and therefore have a great digestive apparatus, which is about one-quarter of total body mass. The entire colon is about 2.2 m long, with the small 1.3 m run. Guinea pigs have a so-called "Stopfdarm", which means that the intestinal peristalsis little of substance and therefore constantly diet are needed to further transport in the intestinal canal. The colon is the Meerschweinchens on the decomposition of cellulose specialist. In the appendix there are many bacteria, which break down cellulose and vitamins. It is also the vitaminreiche Blinddarmkot formed, which the animals after the elimination again. Guinea pigs take approximately 60-80 per day small meals. The volume of the stomach is about 20-30 ml It can be 5-7 days to the food the digestive tract completely happens. Guinea pigs can not even burp vomit, so they have no way to eat this way to get rid of. When a guinea pig to be operated on, it may not be before ausgenüchtert, because this is the whole digestive brings mixed up and it does not make sense, because the animals do not vomit. Guinea pigs have a bowel flora, which is only slowly adjust to new foods. So never feed changes too quickly.

Below the anus is in a skin fold the Perinealdrüse which only occurs guinea pigs. She is in intensive educated males than for females. When males makes fragrances, which can be arbitrarily emptied, which is why we believe that this is a coherent with the scent Genitalfunktion body. Above the anus is the Kaudaldrüse which enriched with sebaceous glands. This gland produces sexual fragrances and is sexually mature males strongest.

The blood volume is approximately 6% of body weight.

Physiology
Body temperature: 37,5-39 ° Celsius (at extreme differences between 37,4-39,5 ° C)

Breathing Frequency: 100-130 trains per minute (in extreme cases up to 150 lines per minute)

Heart Rate: 230-380 beats per minute (average of 300 beats per minute)

Vision: guinea pigs have a broad view radius, can be worse estimate distances. Although you can distinguish colors, but they seem no more important. The ratio of the rods (which for the light-dark vision are responsible) to the cones (which for the color vision are responsible) is 4-5:3.

Hearing: guinea pig hold another hearing range than humans, especially what high tones. According to Ilse fur is the ultimate limit [...] hearing at 33,000 hertz (in humans about 15,000 to 20,000 hertz), the lower limit is about 16 vibrations per second (roughly the same in humans). "

Olfactory sense: Guinea pigs have a very strong sense of smell, which those of the people far exceeds. The sense of smell seems to be the most important sense for the animals to be. They take their environmental smells very strongly about it.

Touch: Guinea pigs have whiskers (Vibrissae), with whom they are in the dark to navigate.

Institutions
Due to the energetic and saftigeren nutrition of the Guinea pig has the digestive tract with the times. The stomach is bigger, so that domestic guinea pig with larger meals at once clear. The small intestine is longer, to a longer route to drain the Nahrungsbreies to have. Even blind and colon are larger, probably a consequence of the substantial part of the diet of grass Tschudi dissenting fodder with which the animals for millennia with things.

Despite the large changes in the digestive tract, Guinea pig is still with the original diet of grass-Tschudi guinea pigs cope.

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