Do you know why the guinea pig is a pig?

This cute animal is a favorite not onlymany children, but also adults. He does not bite, quickly gets used to his hands, he does not need any special care. However, even having such a sweet little animal in the house, far from everyone thinks, why the guinea pig is a pig? After all, it is clear that to the milk grunting animals it has no direct relationship. On the other hand, why the guinea pig is marine? After all, neither she nor her wild relatives can swim. Let's find out these questions, for this we have to plunge into history.

general information

Before proceeding to the question of whycalled guinea pig that way, and not otherwise, let's find out where the home of these little animals and why they were tamed. The breeding of guinea pigs was carried out by Indians in South America, and it was still in the 7th century BC. e. In the homeland of rodents, then called gui, or aporea. Reproduction in nature takes place all year round, pregnancy lasts a little more than 2 months, and only a few hours after birth the animal is again ready to reproduce! It is for this reason that the Indians also bred rodents, using them as farm animals. Guinea pigs served as their main source of meat for them, and they were sacrificed and used for other similar rituals. By the way, till now in some countries these rodents are used for food, and Peruvians once for this led the breed of a very large guinea pig, it weighed about 2.5 kg. In Europe, they were brought for the first time in the 16th century, only rodents were very expensive, not everyone could afford to play with a funny animal.

Why guinea pig is a pig. First version

Yes, there are severalversions. One of them says that when the Spaniards first landed in South America and saw these rodents, they were very similar to dairy pigs. Therefore, they began to eat without hesitation. After all, if you take a closer look at the guinea pig, you can see some similarities with the grunting animal. For example, such as short legs, a fairly large head on a short neck and a plump body.

Second version

According to other sources, the next versionAs to why the guinea pig is mumps, it appeared because of the behavior of the animal. The fact is that when a rodent experiences anxiety, wants to eat, is dissatisfied with something or, on the contrary, is in a fine mood, happy to see its owner, then it produces peculiar sounds that look like grunting or squealing. Which of the two versions is reliable, no one knows for sure. We can say only one thing: the guinea pig owes its name to the Spaniards. Why is the animal so called, we found out, but not completely. It remains to understand why the pig is sea.

Overseas Beast

On this occasion there is a suggestion that in Europethese rodents spread from west to east, and the name that exists today in our country indicates that animals were brought on ships from behind the sea, that is, from the very beginning there were overseas guinea pigs. These cute little animals, which are unpretentious to the content and nutrition and are easily trained, were the favorite companions of sailors. And in fact, guinea pigs can not stand water, so do not try to teach you to swim your pet, it will simply drown.

Another interesting puzzle

Guinea pig - this is how it is called in Englishcavy. And there are two versions of the translation. According to one assumption, the little animal is called in translation "Guinean" because in English. Guinea - Guinea. Perhaps this version was formed because of the incorrect fact that African Guinea is the birthplace of guinea pigs. According to the second version, when the animals were brought to Europe, they cost very dearly, accordingly, hence (possibly) the name guinea pig - "pig for guinea" has gone. Such a price was high for the overwhelming majority of the population. It is difficult to give preference to one of these versions. However, in any case, the animals still pay for the speculation of the pioneers.

Lovely Pets

We have tried to understand why the seapig - mumps, and where did this name come from. One thing is certain: if you acquire such a pet, then a lot of positive emotions are guaranteed to you. Live guinea pigs at home are desirable in a high cage with a deep pallet, and as a litter you can use sawdust, hay or specific fillers that are sold in specialty stores. Rodents eat with pleasure grass, hay, grain crops. A very important condition for their normal functioning is a sufficient amount of pure water for drinking, preferably with the addition of vitamin C. But in general, the animals are sociable, inquisitive, intelligent. Within a few days they will respond to the nickname and be able to sleep soundly in your arms. They will become a real and full member of your family.