"7, and Huckinghaus(1961) recognized only 3. Recent scientific compilations have generally followed either Cabrera or Huckinghaus. At least five wild species of guinea pig are recognised, in addition to the domestic form: Some authors also recognise the following additional species: In addition, four fossil species have been identified: Cavia Cavia is a genus in the subfamily Caviinae that contains the rodents commonly known as guinea pigs or cavies. The best-known species in this genus is the domestic guinea pig, ""Cavia porcellus"", an important meat animal in South America and a common household pet outside South America. ""Cavia"" is classified in"
"Caviomorpha Caviomorpha is the rodent infraorder or parvorder that unites all New World hystricognaths. It is supported by both fossil and molecular evidence. The Caviomorpha was for a time considered to be a separate order outside the Rodentia, but is now accepted as a genuine part of the rodents. Caviomorphs include the extinct Heptaxodontidae (giant hutias) and extant families of chinchilla rats, hutias, guinea pigs and the capybara, chinchillas and viscachas, tuco-tucos, agoutis, pacas, pacaranas, spiny rats, New World porcupines, coypu and octodonts (Vassallo and Antenucci, 2015). The first known rodent fossils in South America are represented by the three"
"Caviidae Caviidae, the cavy family, is composed of rodents native to South America and includes the domestic guinea pig, wild cavies, and the largest living rodent, the capybara. They are found across South America in open areas from moist savanna to thorn forests or scrub desert. This family of rodents has fewer members than most other rodent families, with 19 species in 6 genera in 3 subfamilies. With the exception of the maras, which have a more rabbit-like appearance, caviids have short, heavy bodies and large heads. Most have no visible tails. They range in size from the smaller cavies"
"are smooth in outline, and only occasionally are degenerate forms present or are the acrosomes absent. In ""Galea"", the spermatozoa of the epididymis are always single-cell whereas those of ""Cavia"" are agglutinated in the form of rouleaux. ""Galea"" spermatozoa swim more slowly than those of ""Cavia"". While some ""Galea"" species are promiscuous – for example ""G. musteloides"" – ""Cavia"" exhibits polygynous behavior, which means that males are selected for aggression so that multiple matings will be prohibited. Galea (genus) Galea is a genus of South American rodents of the family Caviidae. Four extant species are known, found in Argentina, Bolivia,"
"Galea (genus) Galea is a genus of South American rodents of the family Caviidae. Four extant species are known, found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru and Brazil. They are: ""Galea"" has until recently been considered to have only three species; the Muenster yellow-toothed cavy was only described in 2004. ""G. flavidens"" is monotypic and ""G. musteloides"" and ""G. spixii"" are polytypic. ""Galea"" is in the family Caviidae and its members are described as cavies; they have sometimes also been called ""guinea pigs"". Cavies are widespread throughout South America. The high diversity of habitats of different species is paralleled by a"
"males, and juveniles. The family Caviidae is a sister group to the family Dasyproctidae, both of which are members of the superfamily Cavioidea. Fossils caviids first appeared during the middle of the Miocene epoch in South America. Family Caviidae Caviidae Caviidae, the cavy family, is composed of rodents native to South America and includes the domestic guinea pig, wild cavies, and the largest living rodent, the capybara. They are found across South America in open areas from moist savanna to thorn forests or scrub desert. This family of rodents has fewer members than most other rodent families, with 19 species"
"unrelated erinaceomorph hedgehogs and Australian monotreme echidnas. The name ""porcupine"" comes from Latin ""porcus"" pig + ""spina"" spine, quill, via Old Italian—Middle French—Middle English. A regional American name for the animal is quill pig. Fossils belonging to the genus ""Hystrix"" date back to the late Miocene of Africa. A porcupine is any of 58 species of rodents belonging to the families Erethizontidae (genera: ""Coendou"", ""Erethizon"", and ""Chaetomys"") or Hystricidae (genera: ""Atherurus"", ""Hystrix"", and ""Trichys""). Porcupines vary in size considerably: Rothschild's porcupine of South America weighs less than a kilogram (2.2 lb); the crested porcupine found in Italy, Sicily, North Africa,"
"Josephoartigasia monesi Josephoartigasia monesi, an extinct species of South American caviomorph rodent, is the largest rodent known, and lived from about 4 to 2 million years ago during the Pliocene to early Pleistocene. The species is one of two in the genus ""Josephoartigasia"", the other being ""J. magna"". ""J. monesi"" is sometimes called the giant pacarana, after its closest living relative, the pacarana (""Dinomys branickii"") in the family Dinomyidae. The species may have weighed a ton, considerably larger than any living rodent. The skull of the holotype is long, and the remaining incisor is more than in length. The total"
"Rock cavy The rock cavy or mocó (""Kerodon rupestris"") is a cavy species endemic to eastern Brazil, from eastern Piauí state to Minas Gerais state. It has been introduced to the oceanic island of Fernando de Noronha. The rock cavy is a fairly large rodent weighing up to , and like other species of cavies the tail is vestigial or absent. The dorsum is grey and the venter light brown. They are hystricomorphs, which means they have porcupine-like jaw muscles. The rock cavy belongs to the order Rodentia and the family Caviidae. This group has two subfamilies: Dolichotinae and Caviinae."
"Capybara The capybara (""Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris"") is a mammal native to South America. It is the largest living rodent in the world. Also called chigüire, chigüiro (in Venezuela) and carpincho, it is a member of the genus ""Hydrochoerus"", of which the only other extant member is the lesser capybara (""Hydrochoerus isthmius""). Its close relatives include guinea pigs and rock cavies, and it is more distantly related to the agouti, the chinchilla, and the coypu. The capybara inhabits savannas and dense forests and lives near bodies of water. It is a highly social species and can be found in groups as large"
"protected areas that these animals reside in. Rock cavy The rock cavy or mocó (""Kerodon rupestris"") is a cavy species endemic to eastern Brazil, from eastern Piauí state to Minas Gerais state. It has been introduced to the oceanic island of Fernando de Noronha. The rock cavy is a fairly large rodent weighing up to , and like other species of cavies the tail is vestigial or absent. The dorsum is grey and the venter light brown. They are hystricomorphs, which means they have porcupine-like jaw muscles. The rock cavy belongs to the order Rodentia and the family Caviidae. This"
"it to be closest to the stump-tailed porcupine (""C. rufescens""). Andean porcupine The Andean porcupine (""Coendou quichua"") is a species of rodent in the family Erethizontidae. It is found in the Andes of Ecuador as well as from the Cordillera Oriental of northeastern Colombia near San Vicente de Chucurí. This porcupine is little known, but is probably arboreal, nocturnal and solitary like its relatives. The species is thought to be uncommon to rare and the population decreasing. It is threatened by deforestation, habitat fragmentation and agriculture. Although it is morphologically distinctive, it has sometimes been described as a subspecies of"
"Philippine porcupine The Philippine porcupine, or Palawan porcupine (""Hystrix pumila"") is a species of rodent in the family Hystricidae (Old World porcupines) endemic to the island of Palawan in the Philippines. It is known locally as ""durian"" or ""landak"". Apparently, its population is stable, but it is reported to be persecuted by farmers as pests in coconut plantations. Locally common to uncommon, the species is found in primary and secondary forest in the mountains and in the lowlands. This species also inhabits caves, but is commonly found under tree buttresses or in rock crevices. It endemic and restricted to the"
"Venezuela and Colombia to western Bolivia, including the Yungas. It is common in Cotapata National Park in Bolivia. The pacarana is the sole extant member of the rodent family Dinomyidae in the infraorder Caviomorpha; the paca that it resembles in appearance is in a different Caviomorph family, the Cuniculidae. Initially, the pacarana was regarded as a member of the superfamily Muroidea, that includes the true mice, but that view was abandoned in the face of evidence that suggests that the pacarana is in the family Dinomyidae together with extinct animals such as ""Phoberomys pattersoni"" and ""Josephoartigasia monesi"", prehistoric giant rodents"
"North American porcupine The North American porcupine (""Erethizon dorsatum""), also known as the Canadian porcupine or common porcupine, is a large rodent in the New World porcupine family. The beaver is the only rodent in North America that is larger than the North American porcupine. The porcupine is a caviomorph rodent whose ancestors rafted across the Atlantic from Africa to Brazil over 30 million years ago, and then migrated to North America during the Great American Interchange after the Isthmus of Panama rose 3 million years ago. The word ""porcupine"" comes from the middle or old French word ""porcespin"", which"
"by molecular studies. The Dinomyidae may belong to the Chinchilloidea, the Abrocomidae may belong to the Octodontoidea, and the Hydrochaeridae may have evolved from within the Caviidae. Caviomorpha Caviomorpha is the rodent infraorder or parvorder that unites all New World hystricognaths. It is supported by both fossil and molecular evidence. The Caviomorpha was for a time considered to be a separate order outside the Rodentia, but is now accepted as a genuine part of the rodents. Caviomorphs include the extinct Heptaxodontidae (giant hutias) and extant families of chinchilla rats, hutias, guinea pigs and the capybara, chinchillas and viscachas, tuco-tucos, agoutis,"
"Muenster yellow-toothed cavy The Muenster yellow-toothed cavy (Galea monasteriensis) is a species of rodent in the family Caviidae. It is known only from one location in Valle Hermoso in the Bolivian Andes, at an elevation of 2557 m. Specimens from this location were shipped to Muenster, Germany in 1997 for laboratory research, where the species was recognized and described. ""Galea monasteriensis"" was recognized on the basis of morphological, behavioral, and reproductive differences from related species. However, its habits in the wild have not been studied. Unlike the :common yellow-toothed cavy and :Spix's yellow-toothed cavy, Muenster yellow-toothed cavy males engage in"
"Mara (mammal) The maras (""Dolichotis"") are a genus of the cavy family of rodents. They are the sole extant representatives of the subfamily Dolichotinae. These large relatives of guinea pigs are common in the Patagonian steppes of Argentina, but also live in Paraguay and elsewhere in South America. Maras are the fourth-largest rodent in the world, after capybaras, beavers, and porcupines, reaching about in height. Two species of maras are recognised, the Patagonian mara (""Dolichotis patagonum""), and the Chacoan mara (""Dolichotis salinicola""). ""Dolichotis"" means ‘long-earred’ (from ‘long’ + ‘ear’) in Ancient Greek. Maras have stocky bodies, three sharp-clawed digits on"
"Lycodon cavernicolus Lycodon cavernicolus, also known as Gua Wang Burma wolf snake, is a species of colubrid snake found in peninsular Malaysia. It was first described in 2014. The species name ""cavernicolus"" is derived from the Latin words ""caverna"", which means ""cave"" and ""cola"" which means ""dweller"", and means that ""L. cavernicolus"" lives in caves. However, strictly speaking the ending ""-colus"" is a correctable error, as in Latin -cola as a suffix is a masculine noun and is not declined in compound words. ""L. cavernicolus"" is a member of the genus ""Lycodon"", a genus of snakes commonly known as wolf"
"name, ""ahuacaense"", refers to Cerro de Ahuaca. They suggested the English common name of ""Ecuadorean mountain viscacha"". ""L. ahuacaense"" was the fourth species of the genus ""Lagidium"" to be described, after ""L. peruanum"", ""L. viscacia"", and ""L. wolffsohni"" of the central and southern Andes, although more species may eventually be recognized within ""L. peruanum"" and ""L. viscacia"", and ""L. wolffsohni"" is poorly differentiated from ""L. viscacia"". Together with the plains viscacha (""Lagostomus maximus"") and the chinchillas (""Chinchilla""), ""Lagidium"" forms the rodent family Chinchillidae. Within ""Lagidium"", ""L. ahuacaense"" differs by at least 7.9% from all other species in DNA sequences of"
"in 1982, multiple establishments in Japan that raise capybaras have adopted the practice of having them relax in onsen during the winter. Capybara The capybara (""Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris"") is a mammal native to South America. It is the largest living rodent in the world. Also called chigüire, chigüiro (in Venezuela) and carpincho, it is a member of the genus ""Hydrochoerus"", of which the only other extant member is the lesser capybara (""Hydrochoerus isthmius""). Its close relatives include guinea pigs and rock cavies, and it is more distantly related to the agouti, the chinchilla, and the coypu. The capybara inhabits savannas and"
"that lived in South America several million years ago. Pacaranas typically are found in family groups of four or five. Pacarana The pacarana (""Dinomys branickii"") is a rare and slow-moving hystricognath rodent indigenous to South America. Native peoples of the region call it the ""pacarana"" (false paca) because it is superficially similar to the paca, a different rodent which is not in the same family. The pacarana has a chunky body and is large for a rodent, weighing up to and measuring up to in length, not including the thick, furry tail. The pacarana is nocturnal and is found only"
"Andean porcupine The Andean porcupine (""Coendou quichua"") is a species of rodent in the family Erethizontidae. It is found in the Andes of Ecuador as well as from the Cordillera Oriental of northeastern Colombia near San Vicente de Chucurí. This porcupine is little known, but is probably arboreal, nocturnal and solitary like its relatives. The species is thought to be uncommon to rare and the population decreasing. It is threatened by deforestation, habitat fragmentation and agriculture. Although it is morphologically distinctive, it has sometimes been described as a subspecies of the bicolored-spined porcupine (""C. bicolor""). However, genetic studies have shown"
"Lagidium Lagidium is a genus of rodents in the family Chinchillidae. It contains these species: The number of species of mountain viscachas was considered to be three by most authors: ""L. peruanum"" (northern or montane viscacha), ""L. viscacia"" (southern or mountain viscacha), and ""L. wolffsohni"" (Wolffsohn’s viscacha). However, taxonomy usually differs by authors (e.g. ""L. peruanum"" is included within ""L. viscacia"" according to Anderson 1997). ""L. ahuacaense"" is a new species from Ecuador described in June 2009 The northern viscacha occurs in central and southern Peru and northern Chile. The distribution is shown to be the Andes mountains in Peru"
"Porthidium lansbergii Porthidium lansbergii is a species of venomous snake, a pitviper in the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to Central and South America. Four subspecies are recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here. The specific name, ""lansbergii"", is in honor of ""M[onsieur]. de Lansberge"" (), Dutch consul at Caracas, Venezuela, in 1841. Adults of ""P. lansbergii"" average in total length (including tail), with a maximum of . A terrestrial snake, it is moderately slender. Common names for ""P. lansbergii"" include Lansberge's hog-nosed pit-viper. It is also called ""patoco"" in Colombia and Panama. ""P. lansbergii"" is found in extreme"
"remnant populations remain scattered throughout north-central Mexico. They live in riparian forests, mesquite scrubland, grasslands, and thorn forests. They are threatened by hunting and habitat loss. As of 1994, it was listed as an endangered species in Mexico. North American porcupine The North American porcupine (""Erethizon dorsatum""), also known as the Canadian porcupine or common porcupine, is a large rodent in the New World porcupine family. The beaver is the only rodent in North America that is larger than the North American porcupine. The porcupine is a caviomorph rodent whose ancestors rafted across the Atlantic from Africa to Brazil over"
"1790. It is classified in the Cotingidae, a family of largely frugivorous tropical forest suboscine passerines. The generic name is derived from the Latin stems ""rupes"" ""rock"" or ""cliff"", and ""cola"" ""inhabiting"", and is derived from its habit of nesting in rock walls. Its specific epithet ""peruvianus"" ""of Peru"" is masculine despite the -""a"" ending of the genus name (in Latin, names in ""-cola"" were masculine or neuter); ""peruviana"" is seen in older works. Four subspecies are known: The Andean cock-of-the-rock is a large passerine, approximately long and weighing around , although males are somewhat larger and the heaviest specimens"
"infect seals. Five species infect llamas and alpacas: ""E. alpacae"", ""E. ivitaensis"", ""E. lamae"", ""E. macusaniensis"", and ""E. punonensis"". A number of species infect rodents, including ""E. couesii"", ""E. kinsellai"", ""E. palustris"", ""E. ojastii"" and ""E. oryzomysi"". Others infect poultry (""E. necatrix"" and ""E. tenella""), rabbits (""E. stiedae"") and cattle (""E. bovis"", ""E. ellipsoidalis"", and ""E. zuernii""). For full species list, see below. The most prevalent species of ""Eimeria"" that cause coccidiosis in cattle are ""E. bovis"", ""E. zuernii"", and ""E. auburnensis"". In a young, susceptible calf it is estimated that as few as 50,000 infective oocysts can cause severe"
"Rothschild's porcupine Rothschild's porcupine, ""Coendou rothschildi"", is a species of rodent in the family Erethizontidae. It is usually considered endemic to Panama. A population in western Ecuador belongs either to this species or to ""Coendou bicolor"". Because of the confusion over its taxonomic status and because its ecology is little known, the IUCN has listed its conservation status as ""data deficient"". ""Mammal Species of the World"" treats ""Coendou rothschildi"" as a valid species endemic to Panama but states that it is possibly a subspecies of the bicolored-spined porcupine (""Coendou bicolor""). The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the species"
"nocturnal, simply to avoid social interaction. Mara (mammal) The maras (""Dolichotis"") are a genus of the cavy family of rodents. They are the sole extant representatives of the subfamily Dolichotinae. These large relatives of guinea pigs are common in the Patagonian steppes of Argentina, but also live in Paraguay and elsewhere in South America. Maras are the fourth-largest rodent in the world, after capybaras, beavers, and porcupines, reaching about in height. Two species of maras are recognised, the Patagonian mara (""Dolichotis patagonum""), and the Chacoan mara (""Dolichotis salinicola""). ""Dolichotis"" means ‘long-earred’ (from ‘long’ + ‘ear’) in Ancient Greek. Maras have"
"Laotian rock rat The Laotian rock rat or kha-nyou (Latin: ""Laonastes aenigmamus"", Lao: ຂະຍຸ), sometimes called the ""rat-squirrel"", is a rodent species of the Khammouan region of Laos. The species was first described in a 2005 article by Paulina Jenkins and coauthors, who considered the animal to be so distinct from all living rodents, they placed it in a new family, Laonastidae. It is in the monotypic genus ""Laonastes"". In 2006, the classification of the Laotian rock rat was disputed by Mary Dawson and coauthors. Dawson and her colleagues suggested instead it belongs to the ancient fossil family Diatomyidae, that"
"González, Obrador's pick for the Environment Department, has implied that she sees vaquita conservation as a lost cause. Vaquita The vaquita (; ""Phocoena sinus"") is a species of porpoise endemic to the northern part of the Gulf of California that is on the brink of extinction. Based on beached skulls found in 1950 and 1951, the scientific description of the species was published in 1958. As of March 2018 only about 12-15 individuals remain. The word ""vaquita"" is Spanish for ""little cow"". Other names include cochito (Spanish for ""little pig""), desert porpoise, vaquita porpoise, Gulf of California harbor porpoise, Gulf"
"Cuniculus hernandezi Cuniculus hernandezi is a name coined for a proposed species of paca described as an endemic to the Central Andes in Colombia, the only place it has been identified as such to date. Individuals may weigh over , making ""C. hernandezi"" a rather large rodent. The authors omitted a description of the animal, but it is thought to be very similar to the mountain paca, ""C. taczanowskii"", from which this taxon was split. According to the authors, analysis of its mitochondrial DNA and karyotypy indicated that it may be a distinct species. The specific epithet honours Colombian biologist"