More info: Guinea Pigs are hystricomorph rodents (related to chinchillas and porcupines) that originated from the Andes Mountain region of South America. Their scientific name is ‘Cavia Porcellus’ and so they are often called ‘Cavies’ for short.

Guinea pigs are a domesticated species of rodent. While domesticated Guinea pigs are no longer found in the wild, they do have some cousins, also called Guinea pigs, which live in forests, savannas, mountainous grasslands and bushy areas of South America.

The Brazilian Guinea pig is found in Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Bolivia, northern Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. The Moleques do Sul Guinea pig is from Moleques Island do Sul, a 25-acre (10.5 hectares) island in Santa Catarina, Brazil. The shiny Guinea pig is found in coastal areas of southeastern Brazil. The greater Guinea pig occurs in southern Brazil and Uruguay and the Montane Guinea pig ranges from northwestern Argentina and northern Chile to Peru.