Editing Guinea pig (section)

{{short description|Domesticated rodent from South America}}
{{About|the small species of Rodent|various guinea pig species|Cavia|other uses}}
{{distinguish|Guinea hog|Pig}}
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
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{{speciesbox
| name = Domestic guinea pig
| image = George the amazing guinea pig.jpg
| image_caption =
| status = DOM 
| genus = Cavia
| species = porcellus
| authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]])
| synonyms = {{species list
    |Mus porcellus| Linnaeus,&nbsp;1758
    |Cavia cobaya| [[Peter Simon Pallas|Pallas]],&nbsp;1766
    |Cavia anolaimae| [[Joel Asaph Allen|J. A. Allen]],&nbsp;1916
    |Cavia cutleri| [[Edward Turner Bennett|Bennett]],&nbsp;1836
    |Cavia leucopyga| [[Jean Louis Cabanis|Cabanis]],&nbsp;1848
    |Cavia longipilis| [[Leopold Fitzinger|Fitzinger]],&nbsp;1879
    }}
}}
[[File:Guinea Pig Defense Sound.ogg|thumb|Guinea pig defense sound]]
The '''guinea pig''' or '''domestic guinea pig''' ('''''Cavia porcellus'''''), also known as the '''cavy''' or '''domestic cavy''' ({{IPAc-en|'|k|eɪ|v|i}} {{respell|KAY|vee}}), is a species of [[rodent]] belonging to the genus ''[[Cavia]]'', family [[Caviidae]]. [[Animal fancy|Breeders]] tend to use the name "cavy" for the animal, but "guinea pig" is more commonly used in scientific and laboratory contexts.{{sfn|Wagner|Manning|1976|p=2}} Despite their name, guinea pigs are not native to [[Guinea (region)|Guinea]], nor are they closely related to [[suidae|pig]]s. Instead, they originated in the [[Andes]] region of [[South America]], where wild guinea pigs can still be found today.<ref>{{cite book|last=Petrylak |first=Ashley |date=2009|title=Guinea Pigs (Great Pets)|url=|publisher=Cavendish Square Publishing|page=5|isbn=978-0-7614-4148-9}}</ref> Studies based on [[biochemistry]] and DNA [[Hybrid (biology)|hybridization]] suggest they are [[domestication|domesticated]] animals that do not exist naturally in the wild, but are descendants of a closely related cavy species such as ''[[Montane guinea pig|C.&nbsp;tschudii]]''.<ref name=weir/><ref name=Walker>{{cite book|last = Nowak|first = Ronald M.|title = Walker's Mammals of the World, 6th edition|publisher = Johns Hopkins University Press|year = 1999|isbn = 978-0-8018-5789-8}}</ref> Originally, they were domesticated as [[livestock]] (source of meat) in the Andean region and are still consumed in some parts of the world.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peru |first=Eat |title=Eating Cuy: Peruvian Guinea Pig Delicacy - Eat Peru |url=https://www.eatperu.com/eating-cuy-guinea-pig-peruvian-delicacy/ |access-date=2024-10-21 |website=www.eatperu.com/ |language=en-US}}</ref>

<!-- As pets -->In [[Western society]], the guinea pig has enjoyed widespread popularity as a [[pet]] since its introduction to Europe and North America by European traders in the 16th century. Their docile nature, friendly responsiveness to handling and feeding, and the relative ease of caring for them have continued to make guinea pigs a popular choice of household pets. Consequently, organizations devoted to the [[Animal fancy|competitive breeding]] of guinea pigs have been formed worldwide. Through [[Selective breeding|artificial selection]], many [[Guinea pig breed|specialized breeds]] with varying [[Coat (animal)|coat]] colors and textures have been selected by [[Breeder|breeders.]]

<!-- In South America -->Livestock breeds of guinea pig play an important role in [[folk culture]] for many [[Indigenous peoples of the Andes|indigenous Andean peoples]], especially as a food source.<ref name=leonard>{{cite book
 |last=Leonard
 |first=Jonathan Norton
 |date=1970
 |title=Recipes, Latin American cooking
 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J8SLxAEACAAJ
 |location=
 |publisher=Time-Life International (Nederlands)
 |page= 21
 |isbn=978-0-8094-0063-8
}}</ref> They are not only used in [[traditional medicine|folk medicine]] and in community religious ceremonies{{sfn|Morales|1995}} but also raised for their meat. Guinea pigs are an important culinary staple in the [[Andes Mountains]], where it is known as ''cuy''. Lately, marketers tried to increase their consumption outside South America.<ref name="cbs">{{cite news|last = Vecchio|first = Rick|title = Peru Pushes Guinea Pigs as Food|work = [[CBS News]]|url = https://www.cbsnews.com/news/peru-pushes-guinea-pigs-as-food/|date = 2004-10-19|access-date = 2007-03-12}}</ref>

<!-- As test subjects -->[[Animal testing|Biological experimentation]] on domestic guinea pigs has been carried out since the 17th century. The animals were used so frequently as [[model organism]]s in the 19th and 20th centuries that the [[epithet]] ''guinea pig'' came into use to describe a [[human subject research|human test subject]]. Since that time, they have mainly been replaced by other rodents, such as [[Laboratory mouse|mice]] and [[Laboratory rat|rats]]. However, they are still used in research, primarily as models to study such human medical conditions as [[diabetes mellitus type 1|juvenile diabetes]], [[tuberculosis]], [[scurvy]] (like humans, they require dietary intake of [[vitamin C]]), and [[pre-eclampsia|pregnancy complications]].