Cavia

For the Japanese video game developer, see cavia, inc..

Cavia Fossil range: Middle Pleistocene - Recent
Cavia aperea
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Rodentia Family: Caviidae Subfamily: Caviinae Genus: Cavia Pallas, 1766
Species
Cavia aperea Cavia tschudii Cavia guianae Cavia anolaimae Cavia nana Cavia porcellus Cavia fulgida Cavia magna Cavia intermedia

Cavia is a genus in the Caviinae subfamily that contains the rodents commonly known as guinea pigs. The most well-known species in this genus is the domestic guinea pig, Cavia porcellus, an important meat animal in South America and a common household pet in the West.

Taxonomic controversy

Cavia are classified in order Rodentia, although there is a minority belief in the scientific community that evidence from mitochondrial DNA and proteins indicates that the Hystricognathi may belong to a different evolutionary offshoot and therefore a different order.Stiefel, Chana Freeiman (1996). Family feud - genetic evidence seems to show that guinea pigs are not rodents. Science World. Retrieved on 2007-11-15. If so, this would be an example of convergent evolution. Other scientists are critical of this hypothesis."Molecular Biology and Evolution," Vol 11, 593-604

Species

• Cavia anolaimae (often considered a synonym of C. porcellus) - Colombia
• Cavia aperea – Brazilian Guinea Pig: widespread east of the Andes
• Cavia fulgida – Shiny Guinea Pig: eastern Brazil
• Cavia guianae (often considered a synonym of C. porcellus) - Venezuela, Guyana, Brazil
• Cavia intermedia – Intermediate Guinea Pig: Moleques do Sul islands, Santa Catarina, Brazil, first described in 1999
• Cavia magna – Greater Guinea Pig: Uruguay, south-east Brazil
• Cavia nana (often considered a synonym of C. tschudii)
• Cavia porcellus – Domestic Guinea Pig: wild ancestor unknown
• Cavia tschudii – Montane Guinea Pig: Peru south to northern Chile and north-west Argentina

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Cavia

This rodent article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia