Author Question: Where does the name guinea pig come from? What will be an ideal ... (Read 39 times)

mynx · **on:** Jul 21, 2018

Where does the name guinea pig come from?

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Where were guinea pigs originally found?

What will be an ideal response?

mathjasmine · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 21, 2018

Answer to Question 1

The guinea pig is neither a pig, nor does it come from Guinea; the actual reason for the name is not known,
but there are several possible explanations. The species name porcellus (Cavia porcellus) for the domestic
guinea pig means little pig in Latin. The only similarities to a pig are the low grunts, the squeals they make
when they are hungry, and their fat little bellies.
After obtaining some of the animals, Dutch and English traders stopped off in Guinea on their way back to
Europe. The first guinea pigs sold in England for one English coin called a guinea. Another explanation could
be that guinea comes from the Portuguese word guine, which means far away and unknown lands.

Answer to Question 2

The domesticated guinea pig has been bred for meat production in South America for at least 3,000 years. The
range of domestication extended from Northwestern Venezuela to Central Chili. The guinea pig is still widely
kept as a source of food by the native people of Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia