The guinea pig (Cavia porcellus), also commonly called the cavy, is a species of rodent belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus Cavia. Despite their common name, these animals are not pigs, nor do they come from Guinea. They originated in the Andes, and studies based on biochemistry and hybridization suggest they are domesticated descendants of a closely related species of cavy such as Cavia aperea, C. fulgida, or C. tschudii, and therefore do not exist naturally in the wild.^[1][2] The guinea pig plays an important role in the folk culture of many Indigenous South American groups, especially as a food source, but also in folk medicine and in community religious ceremonies.^[3] Since the 1960s, efforts have been made to increase consumption of the animal outside South America.^[4]

In Western societies, the guinea pig has enjoyed widespread popularity as a household pet since its introduction by European traders in the 16th century. Their docile nature, their responsiveness to handling and feeding, and the relative ease of caring for them, continue to make the guinea pig a popular pet. Organizations devoted to competitive breeding of guinea pigs have been formed worldwide, and many specialized breeds of guinea pig, with varying coat colors and compositions, are cultivated by breeders.

Biological experimentation on guinea pigs has been carried out since the 17th century. The animals were frequently used as a model organism in the 19th and 20th centuries, resulting in the epithet “guinea pig” for a test subject, but have since been largely replaced by other rodents such as mice and rats. They are still used in research, primarily as models for human medical conditions such as juvenile diabetes, tuberculosis, scurvy, and pregnancy complications.

[edit] History

The common guinea pig was first domesticated as early as 5000 BC for food by tribes in the Andean region of South America (present-day Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia),^[5] some thousands of years after the domestication of the South American camelids.^[6] Statues dating from ca. 500 BC to 500 AD that depict guinea pigs have been unearthed in archaeological digs in Peru and Ecuador.^[7] The Moche people of ancient Peru worshipped animals and often depicted the guinea pig in their art.^[8] From ca. 1200 AD to the Spanish conquest in 1532, selective breeding resulted in many varieties of domestic guinea pigs, which form the basis for some of the modern domestic breeds.^[9] They continue to be a food source in the region; many households in the Andean highlands raise the animal, which subsists off the family’s vegetable scraps.^[10] Folklore traditions involving guinea pigs are numerous; they are exchanged as gifts, used in customary social and religious ceremonies, and frequently referenced in spoken metaphors.^[11] They also play a role in traditional healing rituals by folk doctors, or curanderos, who use the animals to diagnose diseases such as jaundice, rheumatism, arthritis, and typhus.^[12] They are rubbed against the bodies of the sick, and are seen as a supernatural medium.^[13] Black guinea pigs are considered especially useful for diagnoses.^[14] The animal also may be cut open and its entrails examined to determine whether the cure was effective.^[15] These methods are widely accepted in many parts of the Andes, where Western medicine is either unavailable or distrusted.^[16]

Spanish, Dutch, and English traders brought guinea pigs to Europe, where they quickly became popular as exotic pets among the upper classes and royalty, including Queen Elizabeth I.^[5] The earliest known written account of the guinea pig dates from 1547, in a description of the animal from Santo Domingo; because cavies are not native to Hispaniola, the animal was likely introduced there by Spanish travelers.^[1] The guinea pig was first described in the West in 1554 by the Swiss naturalist Conrad Gessner.^[17] Its binomial scientific name was first used by Erxleben in 1777; it is an amalgam of Pallas‘ generic designation (1766) and Linnaeus‘ specific conferral (1758).^[1]

[edit] Name

The scientific name of the common species is Cavia porcellus, with porcellus being Latin for “little pig”. Cavia is New Latin; it is derived from cabiai, the animal’s name in the language of the Galibi tribes once native to French Guiana.^[18] Cabiai may be an adaptation of the Portuguese çavia (now savia), which is itself derived from the Tupi word saujá, meaning rat.^[19] Guinea pigs are called quwi or jaca in Quechua and cuy or cuyo (pl. cuyes, cuyos) in the Spanish of Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.^[20] Ironically, breeders tend to use the more formal “cavy” to describe the animal, while in scientific and laboratory contexts it is far more commonly referred to by the more colloquial “guinea pig”.^[21]

How the animals came to be thought of as “pigs” is not clear. They are built somewhat like pigs, with large heads relative to their bodies, stout necks, and rounded rumps with no tail of any consequence; some of the sounds they emit are very similar to those made by pigs, and they also spend a large amount of time eating.^[22] They can survive for long periods in small quarters, like a ‘pig pen’, and were thus easily transported on ships to Europe.^[23]

The animal’s name carries porcine connotations in many European languages. The German word for them is Meerschweinchen, literally “little sea pig”, which has been translated into Polish as świnka morska, into Hungarian as tengerimalac and into Russian as морская свинка which can be translated to English as “sea pig”. This derives from nautical history: sailing ships stopping to reprovision in the New World would pick up stores of guinea pigs, which provided an easily transportable source of fresh meat. The French term is Cochon d’Inde (Indian pig) or cobaye; the Dutch call it Guinees biggetje (Guinean piglet) or cavia, (while in some Dutch dialects it is called Spaanse rat), and in Portuguese the guinea pig is variously referred to as cobaia, from the Tupi word via its Latinization, or as porquinho da Índia (little Indian pig). This is not universal; for example, the common word in Spanish is conejillo de Indias (little rabbit of India / the Indies).^[20] Equally peculiar, the Chinese refer to them as Holland pigs (荷蘭豬, hélánzhū).

The origin of “guinea” in “guinea pig” is harder to explain. One theory is that the animals were brought to Europe by way of Guinea, leading people to think they had originated there.^[21] “Guinea” was also frequently used in English to refer generally to any far-off, unknown country, and so the name may simply be a colorful reference to the animal’s foreignness.^[24][25] Another theory suggests the “guinea” in the name is a corruption of “Guiana“, an area in South America, though the animals are not native to that region.^[24][26] A common misconception is that they were so named because they were sold for the price of a guinea coin; this theory is untenable, because the guinea was first struck in England in 1663, and William Harvey used the term “Ginny-pig” as early as 1653.^[27] Others believe “guinea” may be an alteration of the word coney (rabbit); guinea pigs were referred to as “pig coneys” in Edward Topsell‘s 1607 treatise on quadrupeds.^[21]

[edit] Traits and environment

Two parti-colored Abyssinian guinea pigs

Guinea pigs are large for rodents, weighing between 700 and 1200 g (1.5–2.5 pounds), and measuring between 20 and 25 cm (8–10 inches) in length.^[28] They typically live an average of four to five years, but may live as long as eight years.^[29] According to the 2006 Guinness Book of Records the longest living guinea pig survived 14 years, 10.5 months.^[30]

In the 1990s, a minority scientific opinion emerged proposing that caviomorphs, such as guinea pigs, chinchillas, and degus, are not rodents and should be reclassified as a separate order of mammals (similar to lagomorphs).^[31][32] Subsequent research using wider sampling has restored consensus among mammalian biologists that the current classification of rodents as monophyletic is justified.^[33][34]

[edit] Natural habitat

Cavia porcellus is not found naturally in the wild; it is likely descendant from some closely related species of cavies, such as Cavia aperea, Cavia fulgida, and Cavia tschudii, which are still commonly found in various regions of South America.^[1] Some species of cavy identified in the 20th century, such as Cavia anolaimae and Cavia guianae, may be domestic guinea pigs that have become feral by reintroduction into the wild.^[9] Wild cavies are found on grassy plains and occupy an ecological niche similar to that of the cow. They are social, living in the wild in small groups which consist of several females (sows), a male (boar), and the young (which in a break with the preceding porcine nomenclature are called pups). They move together in groups (herds) eating grass or other vegetation, and do not store food.^[35] While they do not burrow or build nests, they frequently seek shelter in the burrows of other animals, as well as in crevices and tunnels formed by vegetation.^[35] They are crepuscular, tending to be most active during dawn and dusk, when it is harder for predators to spot them.^[36]

[edit] Domestic habitat

Domesticated guinea pigs thrive in groups of two or more; groups of sows, or groups of one or more sows and a neutered boar are common combinations. Guinea pigs learn to recognize and bond with other individual guinea pigs, and testing of boars shows that their neuroendocrine stress response is significantly lowered in the presence of a bonded female when compared to the presence of unfamiliar females.^[37] Groups of boars may also get along, provided that their cage has enough space, they are introduced at an early age, and no females are present.^[38] Domestic guinea pigs have developed a different biological rhythm from their wild counterparts, and have longer periods of activity followed by short periods of sleep in between.^[36] Activity is scattered randomly over the 24 hours of the day; aside from avoidance of intense light, no regular circadian patterns are apparent.^[36]

This cat has accepted this pair of guinea pigs. The success of this type of interspecies interaction varies according to the individual animals involved

Domestic guinea pigs generally live in cages, although some owners of large numbers of guinea pigs will dedicate entire rooms to their pets. Cages with solid or wire mesh floors are used, although wire mesh floors can cause injury and may be associated with an infection commonly known as bumblefoot (ulcerative pododermatitis).^[39] “Cubes and Coroplast” (or C&C) style cages are now a common choice.^[40] Cages are often lined with wood shavings or a similar material. Bedding made from Red Cedar^{[disambiguation needed]} and pine, both softwoods, was commonly used in the past, however these materials are now believed to contain harmful phenols (aromatic hydrocarbons) and oils.^[41] Safer beddings include those made from hardwoods (such as aspen), paper products, and corn cob materials are other alternatives.^[41] Guinea pigs tend to be messy within their cages; they often jump into their food bowls or kick bedding and feces into them, and their urine sometimes crystallizes on cage surfaces, making it difficult to remove.^[42] After its cage has been cleaned, a guinea pig will typically urinate and drag the lower body across the floor of the cage to mark its territory.^[43] Male guinea pigs may also mark their territory in this way when they are taken out of their cages.

Guinea pigs do not generally thrive when housed with other species. Cohousing of guinea pigs with other rodents such as gerbils and hamsters may increase instances of respiratory and other infections,^[44] and such rodents may act aggressively toward the guinea pig.^[45] Larger animals may regard guinea pigs as prey, though some (such as dogs) can be trained to accept them.^[46] Opinion is divided over the cohousing of guinea pigs and domestic rabbits. Some published sources say that guinea pigs and rabbits complement each other well when sharing a cage.^[46][47] However, as lagomorphs, rabbits have different nutritional requirements, and so the two species cannot be fed the same food.^[48] Rabbits may also harbor diseases (such as the respiratory infections Bordetella and Pasteurella), to which guinea pigs are susceptible.^[49] Even the dwarf rabbit is much stronger than the guinea pig and may cause intentional or inadvertent injury.^[50]

[edit] Behavior

Guinea pigs can learn complex paths to food, and can accurately remember a learned path for months. Their strongest problem solving strategy is motion.^[51] While guinea pigs can jump small obstacles, they are poor climbers, and are not particularly agile. They startle extremely easily, and will either freeze in place for long periods or run for cover with rapid, darting motions when they sense danger.^[36] Larger groups of startled guinea pigs will “stampede”, running in haphazard directions as a means of confusing predators.^[52] When excited, guinea pigs may repeatedly perform little hops in the air (known as “popcorning”), a movement analogous to the ferret’s war dance.^[53] They are also exceedingly good swimmers.^[54]

Guinea pigs “social groom”

Like many rodents, guinea pigs sometimes participate in social grooming, and they regularly self-groom.^[55] A milky-white substance is secreted from their eyes and rubbed into the hair during the grooming process.^[56] Groups of boars will often chew each other’s hair, but this is a method of establishing hierarchy within a group, rather than a social gesture.^[54] Dominance is also established through biting (especially of the ears), piloerection, aggressive noises, head thrusts, and leaping attacks.^[57] Non-sexual simulated mounting for dominance is also common among same-sex groups.

Guinea pig sight is not as good as a human, but they have a wider range of vision (about 340°)^[58] and see in partial color (dichromacy). They have well-developed senses of hearing, smell, and touch.^[59] Vocalization is the primary means of communication between members of the species.^[60] Some sounds are:^[61][62]

• Wheek – A loud noise, the name of which is onomatopoeic, also known as a Whistle. An expression of general excitement, it may occur in response to the presence of its owner or to feeding. It is sometimes used to find other guinea pigs if they are running. If a guinea pig is lost, it may wheek for assistance. listen (help·info)
• Bubbling or Purring – This sound is made when the guinea pig is enjoying itself, such as when being petted or held. They may also make this sound when grooming, crawling around to investigate a new place, or when given food. listen (help·info)
• Rumbling – This sound is normally related to dominance within a group, though it can also come as a response being scared or angry. In these cases the rumble often sounds higher and the body vibrates shortly. While courting, a male usually purrs deeply, swaying and circling the female^[63] in a behavior called “rumblestrutting”. A low rumble while walking away reluctantly shows passive resistance. listen (help·info)
• Chutting and Whining – These are sounds made in pursuit situations, by the pursuer and pursuee, respectively. listen (help·info)
• Chattering – This sound is made by rapidly gnashing the teeth, and is generally a sign of warning. Guinea pigs tend to raise their heads when making this sound. A more relaxed type of gnashing often means the guinea pig wants a treat that is somewhere nearby but out of reach.^{[original research?]}
• Squealing or Shrieking – A high-pitched sound of discontent, in response to pain or danger. listen (help·info)
• Chirping – This less-common sound, likened to bird song, seems to be related to stress, or when a baby guinea pig wants to be fed. Very rarely, the chirping will last for several minutes. listen (help·info)

[edit] Breeding

Pregnant sow one week before delivering three pups

The guinea pig is able to breed year-round, with birth peaks usually coming in the spring; as many as five litters can be produced per year.^[9] The gestation period lasts from 59–72 days, with an average of 63–68 days.^[43] Because of the long gestation period and the large size of the pups, pregnant females may become large and eggplant-shaped, although the change in size and shape varies. Unlike the offspring of most other rodents, which are altricial at birth, newborn pups are well-developed with hair, teeth, claws, and partial eyesight;^[54] they are immediately mobile, and begin eating solid food immediately, though they continue to suckle. Litters yield 1–6 pups, with an average of three;^[29] the largest recorded litter size is 17.^[64]

In smaller litters, difficulties may occur during labour due to over-sized pups. Large litters result in higher incidences of stillbirth, but because the pups are delivered at an advanced stage of development, lack of access to the mother’s milk has little effect on the mortality rate of newborns.^[65] Cohabitating females assist in mothering duties if lactating.^[66]

Male and female guinea pigs do not differ in external appearance apart from general size. The position of the anus is very close to the genitals in both sexes. Female genitals are distinguished by a Y-shaped configuration formed from a vulvar flap; while the male genitals may look similar with the penis and anus forming a like shape, the penis will protrude if pressure is applied to the surrounding hair.^[67] The male’s testes may also be visible externally from scrotal swelling.

Guinea pig pup at eight hours old

Males reach sexual maturity at 3–5 weeks; females can be fertile as early as four weeks and can carry litters before they are adults.^[68] Females that have never given birth commonly develop irreversible fusing of the pubic symphysis, a joint in the pelvis, after six months of age.^[43] If they become pregnant after this has happened, the birth canal will not widen sufficiently; this may lead to dystocia and death as they attempt to give birth.^[69] Females can become pregnant 6–48 hours after giving birth, but it is not healthy for a female to be thus constantly pregnant.^[70]

Toxemia of pregnancy is common and kills many pregnant females. Signs of toxemia include anorexia, lack of energy, excessive salivation, a sweet or fruity breath odor due to ketones, and seizures in advanced cases.^[71] Pregnancy toxemia appears to be most common in hot climates.^[72] Other serious complications of pregnancy can include a prolapsed uterus, hypocalcaemia, and mastitis.^[73]

[edit] Diet

A silver agouti guinea pig eating grass

Grass is the guinea pig’s natural diet. Their molars are particularly suited for grinding plant matter, and grow continuously throughout the animal’s life.^[74] Most grass-eating mammals are quite large and have a long digestive tract; while guinea pigs have much longer colons than most rodents, they must also supplement their diet by coprophagy, the eating of their own feces.^[75] However, they do not consume all their feces indiscriminately, but produce special soft pellets, called cecotropes, which recycle B vitamins, fiber, and bacteria required for proper digestion.^[76] The cecotropes (or caecal pellets) are eaten directly from the anus, unless the guinea pig is pregnant or obese.^[48] They share this behaviour with rabbits. In geriatric boars or sows (the condition is rarer in young ones), the muscles which allow the softer pellets to be expelled from the anus for consumption can become weak. This creates a condition known as anal impaction, which prevents the boar from redigesting cecotropes, though harder pellets may pass through the impacted mass.^[77] The condition may be temporarily alleviated by carefully expelling the impacted feces.

Guinea pigs benefit from feeding on fresh grass hay, such as timothy hay, in addition to food pellets which are often based from timothy. Alfalfa is also a popular food choice; most guinea pigs will eat large amounts of alfalfa when offered it,^[78] though there exists some controversy over the feeding of alfalfa to adult guinea pigs. Some pet owners and veterinary organizations have advised that, as a legume rather than a grass hay, alfalfa consumed in large amounts may lead to obesity, as well as bladder stones due to excess calcium, in any but pregnant and very young guinea pigs.^[79][80] However, published scientific sources mention alfalfa as a source for replenishment of protein, amino acids, and fiber.^[81][82]

Like humans, but unlike most other mammals, guinea pigs cannot synthesize their own vitamin C and must obtain this vital nutrient from food. If guinea pigs do not ingest enough vitamin C, they can suffer from potentially fatal scurvy. Guinea pigs require about 10 mg (0.15 gr) of vitamin C daily (20 mg (0.31 gr) if pregnant), which can be obtained through fresh, raw fruits and vegetables (such as broccoli, apple, cabbage, carrot, celery, and spinach) or through dietary supplements.^[83] Healthy diets for guinea pigs require a complex balance of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and hydrogen ions; adequate amounts of vitamins E, A, and D are also necessary.^[84] Imbalanced diets have been associated with muscular dystrophy, metastatic calcification, difficulties with pregnancy, vitamin deficiencies, and teeth problems.^[85] Guinea pigs tend to be fickle eaters when it comes to fresh fruits and vegetables, having learned early in life what is and is not appropriate to consume, and their habits are difficult to change after maturity.^[86] They do not respond well to sudden changes in diet; they may stop eating and starve rather than accepting new food types.^[54] A constant supply of hay or other food is generally recommended, as guinea pigs feed continuously and may develop habits such as chewing on their own hair if food is not present.^[87] Because guinea pigs’ teeth grow constantly, they routinely gnaw, lest their teeth become too large for their mouth, a common problem in rodents.^[40] Guinea pigs will also chew on cloth, paper, plastic, and rubber.

A number of plants are poisonous to guinea pigs, including bracken, bryony, buttercup, charlock, deadly nightshade, foxglove, hellebore, hemlock, Lily of the Valley, mayweed^{[disambiguation needed]}, monkshood, privet, ragwort, rhubarb, speedwell, toadflax^{[disambiguation needed]}, and wild celery.^[88] Additionally, any plant which grows from a bulb (e.g., tulip and onion) is normally considered poisonous.^[88]

[edit] Health

A parti-colored guinea pig suffering from Torticollis, or wry neck

Common ailments in domestic guinea pigs include respiratory tract infections^{[disambiguation needed]}, diarrhea, scurvy (vitamin C deficiency, typically characterized by sluggishness), abscesses due to infection (often in the neck, due to hay embedded in the throat, or from external scratches), and infections by lice, mites, or fungus.^[89]

Mange mites (Trixacarus caviae) are a common cause of hair loss, and other symptoms may also include excessive scratching, unusually aggressive behavior when touched (due to pain), and, in some instances, seizures.^[90] Guinea pigs may also suffer from “running lice” (Gliricola porcelli), a small white insect which can be seen moving through the hair; the eggs of these lice, which appear as black or white specks attached to the hair, are sometimes referred to as “static lice”. Other causes of hair loss can be due to hormonal upsets caused by underlying medical conditions such as ovarian cysts.^[91]

Foreign bodies, especially small pieces of hay or straw, can become lodged in the eyes of guinea pigs, resulting in excessive blinking, tearing, and in some cases an opaque film over the eye due to corneal ulcer.^[92] Hay or straw dust can also cause sneezing. While it is normal for guinea pigs to sneeze periodically, frequent sneezing may be a symptom of pneumonia, especially in response to atmospheric changes. Pneumonia may also be accompanied by torticollis and can be fatal.^[93]

Because the guinea pig has a stout, compact body, the animal more easily tolerates excessive cold than excessive heat.^[94] Its normal body temperature is 101–104 °F (38–40 °C),^[95] and so its ideal ambient air temperature range is similar to the human’s, about 65–75 °F (18–24 °C).^[94] Consistent ambient temperatures in excess of 90 °F (32 °C) have been linked to hyperthermia and death, especially among pregnant sows.^[94] Guinea pigs are not well suited to environments that feature wind or frequent drafts,^[96] and respond poorly to extremes of humidity outside of the range of 30–70%.^[97]

Guinea pigs are prey animals whose survival instinct is to mask pain and signs of illness, and many times health problems may not be apparent until a condition is severe or in its advanced stages. Treatment of disease is made more difficult by the extreme sensitivity guinea pigs have to most antibiotics, including penicillin, which kill off the intestinal flora and quickly bring on episodes of diarrhea and in some cases, death.^[98]

Similar to the inherited genetic diseases of other breeds of animal (such as hip dysplasia in canines), a number of genetic abnormalities of guinea pigs have been reported. Most commonly, the roan coloration of Abyssinian guinea pigs is associated with congenital eye disorders and problems with the digestive system.^[99] Other genetic disorders include “waltzing disease” (deafness coupled with a tendency to run in circles), palsy, and tremor conditions.^[100]

[edit] Pets

A guinea pig being held

If handled correctly early in their life, guinea pigs become amenable to being picked up and carried, and seldom bite or scratch.^[54] They are timid explorers, and rarely attempt to escape from their cages, even when an opportunity presents itself.^[47] Guinea pigs who become familiar with their owner will whistle on the owner’s approach; they will also learn to whistle in response to the rustling of plastic bags or the opening of refrigerator doors, where their food is most commonly stored.

Guinea pigs should be kept in pairs or, preferably groups, unless there is a specific medical condition that requires isolation. Lone guinea pigs are more likely to suffer from stress and depression^[101]; for this reason, it is illegal in Sweden to sell a lone guinea pig to a buyer who does not have any other guinea pigs^[102]. It is a common misconception that male guinea pigs cannot be kept in groups; male guinea pigs can make excellent companions, especially when introduced from a young age and, generally, aggression would only occur if there was limited space or resources or a higher ratio of males to females. Guinea pig compatibility relies more heavily on personality than on gender^[103].

Domesticated guinea pigs come in many breeds, which have been developed since their introduction to Europe and North America. These varieties vary in hair and color composition. The most common varieties found in pet stores are the English shorthair (also known as the American), which have a short, smooth coat, and the Abyssinian, whose coat is ruffled with cowlicks, or rosettes. Also popular among breeders are the Peruvian and the Sheltie (or Silkie), both straight longhair breeds, and the Texel, a curly longhair.

Cavy Clubs and Associations dedicated to the showing and breeding of guinea pigs have been established worldwide. The American Cavy Breeders Association, an adjunct to the American Rabbit Breeders’ Association, is the governing body in the United States and Canada.^[104] The British Cavy Council governs cavy clubs in the United Kingdom. Similar organizations exist in Australia (Australian National Cavy Council)^[105] and New Zealand (New Zealand Cavy Club).^[106] Each club publishes its own Standard of Perfection and determines which breeds are eligible for showing.

[edit] Cultural and media influence

A lilac, orange and white Satin Peruvian guinea pig (show-length coat)

As a result of their widespread popularity in human domestic life, and especially because of their popularity in households with children, guinea pigs have shown a presence in culture and media. Some noted appearances of the animal in literature are The Fairy Caravan, a novel by Beatrix Potter,^[107] and Michael Bond‘s Olga da Polga series for children,^[108] both of which feature guinea pigs as the central protagonist. Another appearance is in The Magician’s Nephew by C. S. Lewis: in the first (chronologically) of his The Chronicles of Narnia series, a guinea pig is the first creature to travel to the Wood between the Worlds.^[109] The short story Pigs Is Pigs by Ellis Parker Butler is a tale of bureaucratic incompetence; two guinea pigs held at a train station breed unchecked while humans argue as to whether they are “pigs” for the purpose of determining freight charges.^[110] Butler’s story, in turn, inspired the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “The Trouble with Tribbles“, written by David Gerrold.^[111] In the Golden Hamster Saga books, there are two guinea pigs named Enrico and Caruso who are modern-day thespians (named after Enrico Caruso) who serve as secondary characters, and often irritate the main character, Freddy Auratus who strongly dislikes their acting antics.

Guinea pigs have also been featured in film and television. In the TV movie Shredderman Rules, the main character and the main character’s crush both have guinea pigs which both play a minor part in the plot. A guinea pig named Rodney, voiced by Chris Rock, was a prominent character in the 1998 film Dr. Dolittle and Linny the Guinea pig is a co-star on Nick Jr.‘s Wonder Pets. Guinea pigs were used in some major advertising campaigns in the 1990s and 2000s, notably for Egg Banking plc,^[112] Snapple, and Blockbuster Video.^[113] The Blockbuster campaign is considered by some guinea pig advocates to have been a factor in the rise of caging guinea pigs and rabbits together.^[50] In the South Park season 12 episode “Pandemic 2: The Startling“,giant guinea pigs dressed in costumes, are portrayed as rampaging over the entire Earth^[114] The Walt Disney Pictures movie G-Force, released in the United States on July 24, 2009, features a group of highly intelligent guinea pigs trained as operatives of the U.S. government. A highly popular video game, based on the movie, was also released.

[edit] Scientific research

A guinea pig being examined by a veterinary medical officer for general health and pulmonary condition

The use of guinea pigs in scientific experimentation dates back at least to the 17th century, when the Italian biologists Marcello Malpighi and Carlo Fracassati conducted vivisections of guinea pigs in their examinations of anatomic structures.^[115] In 1780, Antoine Lavoisier used a guinea pig in his experiments with the calorimeter, a device used to measure heat production. The heat from the guinea pig’s respiration melted snow surrounding the calorimeter, showing that respiratory gas exchange is a combustion, similar to a candle burning.^[116] Guinea pigs played a major role in the establishment of germ theory in the late 19th century, through the experiments of Louis Pasteur, Émile Roux, and Robert Koch.^[117] Guinea pigs have been launched into orbital space-flight several times, first by the USSR on the Sputnik 9 biosatellite of March 9, 1961 – with a successful recovery.^[118] China also launched and recovered a biosatellite in 1990 which included guinea pigs as passengers.^[119]

Guinea pig being injected to test a chemical for its carcinogenic properties

In English, the term guinea pig is commonly used as a metaphor for a subject of scientific experimentation, or any experiment or test in modern times. This dates back to the early 20th century; the Oxford English Dictionary notes its first usage in this capacity in 1913.^[120] In 1933, Consumers Research founders F. J. Schlink and Arthur Kallet wrote a book entitled 100,000,000 Guinea Pigs, extending the metaphor to consumer society.^[121] The book became a national bestseller in the United States, thus further popularizing the term, and spurred the growth of the consumer protection movement.^[122] The negative connotation of the term was later employed in the novel The Guinea Pigs by Czech author Ludvík Vaculík as an allegory for Soviet totalitarianism.^[123]

Guinea pigs were popular laboratory animals until the later 20th century; about 2.5 million guinea pigs were used annually in the U.S. for research in the 1960s,^[124] but that total decreased to about 375,000 by the mid-1990s.^[54] As of 2007, they constitute approximately 2% of the current total of laboratory animals.^[124] In the past they were widely used to standardize vaccines and antiviral agents; they were also often employed in studies on the production of antibodies in response to extreme allergic reactions, or anaphylaxis.^[125] Less common uses included research in pharmacology and irradiation.^[125] Since the middle 20th century, they have been replaced in laboratory contexts primarily by mice and rats. This is in part because research into the genetics of guinea pigs has lagged behind that of other rodents, although geneticists W. E. Castle and Sewall Wright made a number of contributions to this area of study, especially regarding coat color.^[100][126] In 2004, the U.S.’s National Human Genome Research Institute announced plans to sequence the genome of the domestic guinea pig.^[127]

The guinea pig was most extensively implemented in research and diagnosis of infectious diseases.^[125] Common uses included identification of brucellosis, Chagas disease, cholera, diphtheria, foot-and-mouth disease, glanders, Q fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and various strains of typhus.^[125] They are still frequently used to diagnose tuberculosis, since they are easily infected by human tuberculosis bacteria.^[124] Because guinea pigs are one of the few animals which, like humans, cannot synthesize vitamin C but must obtain it from their diet, they are ideal for researching scurvy.^[124] From the accidental discovery in 1907 that scurvy could be induced in guinea pigs, to their use to prove the chemical structure of the “ascorbutic factor” in 1932, the guinea pig model proved a crucial part of vitamin C research.^[128][129]

Complement, an important component for serology, was first isolated from the blood of the guinea pig.^[124] Guinea pigs have an unusual insulin mutation,^[130] and are a suitable species for the generation of anti-insulin antibodies.^[131] Present at a level 10 times that found in other mammals, the insulin in guinea pigs may be important in growth regulation, a role usually played by growth hormone.^[132] Additionally, guinea pigs have been identified as model organisms for the study of juvenile diabetes and, because of the frequency of pregnancy toxemia, of pre-eclampsia in human females.^[66]

Guinea pig strains used in scientific research are primarily outbred strains. Aside from the common American or English stock, the two main outbred strains in laboratory use are the Hartley and Dunkin-Hartley; these English strains are albino, although pigmented strains are also available.^[133] Inbred strains are less common and are usually used for very specific research, such as immune system molecular biology. Of the inbred strains that have been created, the two that are still used with any frequency are, following Sewall Wright’s designations, “Strain 2″ and “Strain 13″.^[100][133]

Hairless breeds of guinea pigs have been used in scientific research since the 1980s, particularly for dermatological studies. A hairless and immunodeficient breed was the result of a spontaneous genetic mutation in inbred laboratory strains from the Hartley stock at the Eastman Kodak Company in 1979.^[134] An immunocompetent hairless breed was also identified by the Institute Armand Frappier in 1978, and Charles River Laboratories has reproduced this breed for research since 1982.^[135] Cavy fanciers then began acquiring hairless breeds, and the pet hairless varieties are referred to as “skinny pigs“.

[edit] As food

Two Peruvian dishes of cuy meat

Guinea pigs (called cuy, cuye, curí) were originally domesticated for their meat in the Andes. Traditionally, the animal was usually reserved for ceremonial meals by indigenous people in the Andean highlands, but since the 1960s it has become more socially acceptable for consumption by all people.^[136] It continues to be a major part of the diet in Peru and Bolivia, particularly in the Andes Mountains highlands; it is also eaten in some areas of Ecuador (mainly in the Sierra) and Colombia.^[137] Because guinea pigs require much less room than traditional livestock and reproduce extremely quickly, they are a more profitable source of food and income than many traditional stock animals, such as pigs and cows;^[138] moreover, they can be raised in an urban environment. Both rural and urban families raise guinea pigs for supplementary income, and the animals are commonly bought and sold at local markets and large-scale municipal fairs.^[139] Guinea pig meat is high in protein and low in fat and cholesterol, and is described as being similar to rabbit and the dark meat of chicken.^[4][140] The animal may be served fried (chactado or frito), broiled (asado), or roasted (al horno), and in urban restaurants may also be served in a casserole or a fricassee.^[141] Ecuadorians commonly consume sopa or locro de cuy, a soup dish.^[141] Pachamanca or huatia, a process similar to barbecueing, is also popular, and is usually served with corn beer (chicha) in traditional settings.^[141]

Cuy being raised at home in the traditional Andean fashion

Peruvians consume an estimated 65 million guinea pigs each year, and the animal is so entrenched in the culture that one famous painting of the Last Supper in the main cathedral in Cusco shows Christ and the twelve disciples dining on guinea pig.^[4] The animal remains an important aspect of certain religious events in both rural and urban areas of Peru. A religious celebration known as jaca tsariy (“collecting the cuys”) is a major festival in many villages in the Antonio Raimondi province of eastern Peru, and is celebrated in smaller ceremonies in Lima.^[142] It is a syncretistic event, combining elements of Catholicism and pre-Columbian religious practices, and revolves around the celebration of local patron saints.^[142] The exact form that the jaca tsariy takes differs from town to town; in some localities, a sirvinti (servant) is appointed to go from door to door, collecting donations of guinea pigs, while in others, guinea pigs may be brought to a communal area to be released in a mock bullfight.^[142] Meals such as cuy chactado are always served as part of these festivities, and the killing and serving of the animal is framed by some communities as a symbolic satire of local politicians or important figures.^[142] In the Tungurahua and Cotopaxi provinces of central Ecuador, guinea pigs are employed in the celebrations surrounding the feast of Corpus Christi as part of the Ensayo, which is a community meal, and the Octava, where castillos (greased poles) are erected with prizes tied to the crossbars, from which several guinea pigs may be hung.^[143] The Peruvian town of Churin has an annual festival which involves dressing guinea pigs in elaborate costumes for a competition.^[144]

Andean immigrants in New York City raise and sell guinea pigs for meat, and some ethnic restaurants in major United States cities serve cuy as a delicacy.^[145] Peruvian research universities, especially La Molina National Agrarian University, began experimental programs in the 1960s with the intention of breeding larger-sized guinea pigs.^[146] Subsequent university efforts have sought to change breeding and husbandry procedures in South America, in order to make the raising of guinea pigs as livestock more economically sustainable.^[147] In the 1990s and 2000s, the university began exporting the larger breed guinea pigs to Europe, Japan, and the United States in the hope of increasing human consumption outside of these countries in northern South America.^[4] Efforts have also been made to introduce guinea pig husbandry in developing countries in West Africa.^[138] Nevertheless, as a food source they are still generally considered taboo in other countries in America and Europe; in reality television, guinea pig meat has been consumed as an exotic dish by such Western celebrity chefs as Andrew Zimmern (for his show Bizarre Foods) and Anthony Bourdain in No Reservations.

[edit] See also

Mammals portal

• British Cavy Council
• Peter Gurney
• Save the Newchurch Guinea Pigs

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Look up guinea pig in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cavia porcellus

Wikispecies has information related to: Cavia porcellus

Wikibooks has a book on the topic of Animal Care/Guinea pig

• ACBA – American Cavy Breeders’ Association
• Laboratory Guinea Pig
• Domestic Guinea Pig Genome

Related articles by Zemanta

• Monday Pets: Dumb Guinea Pigs? (The I Just Got Back From APS Edition) [The Thoughtful Animal] (scienceblogs.com)
• Guinea Pig Facts, Information, and Trivia (therealowner.com)
• Happy Pets: More Guinea Pigs in Yummy Colors (games.com)
• Guinea pig deaths hard to prevent: councillor (cbc.ca)
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Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world. There are seven different genera in the family classified as rabbits, including the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), Cottontail rabbit (genus Sylvilagus; 13 species), and the Amami rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi, endangered species on Amami Ōshima, Japan). There are many other species of rabbit, and these, along with pikas and hares, make up the order Lagomorpha.

[edit] Location and habitat

Outdoor entrance to a rabbit burrow

The rabbit lives in many areas around the world. Rabbits live in groups, and the best known species, the European rabbit lives in underground burrows, or rabbit holes. A group of burrows is called a warren.^[1] Meadows, woods, forests, thickets, and grasslands are areas in which rabbits live.^[1] They also inhabit deserts and wetlands. More than half the world’s rabbit population resides in North America.^[1] They also live in Europe, India, Sumatra, Japan, and parts of Africa. The European rabbit has been introduced to many places around the world.^[2]

[edit] Characteristics and anatomy

The rabbit’s long ears, which can be more than 10 cm (4 in) long, are probably an adaptation for detecting predators. They have large, powerful hind legs. Each foot has five toes, with one greatly reduced in size. They are digitigrade animals; they move around on the tips of their toes. Wild rabbits do not differ much in their body proportions or stance, with full, egg-shaped bodies. Their size can range anywhere from 20 cm (8 in) in length and 0.4 kg in weight to 50 cm (20 in) and more than 2 kg. The fur is most commonly long and soft, with colors such as shades of brown, gray, and buff. The tail is a little plume of brownish fur (white on top for cottontails).^[2]

Because the rabbit’s epiglottis is engaged over the soft palate except when swallowing, the rabbit is an obligate nasal breather. Rabbits have two sets of incisor teeth, one behind the other. This way they can be distinguished from rodents, with which they are often mistaken.^[3] Carl Linnaeus originally grouped rabbits and rodents under the class Glires; later, they were separated as the predominant opinion was that many of their similarities were a result of convergent evolution. However, recent DNA analysis and the discovery of a common ancestor has supported the view that they share a common lineage, and thus rabbits and rodents are now often referred to together as members of the superclass Glires. ^[4]

Rabbits are hindgut digesters. This means that most of their digestion takes place in their large intestine and cecum. In rabbits, the cecum is about 10 times bigger than the stomach, and it, along with the large intestine, makes up roughly 40% of the rabbit’s digestive tract.^[5] The unique musculature of the caecum allows the intestinal tract of the rabbit to separate fibrous material from more digestible material; the fibrous material is passed as feces, while the more nutritious material is encased in a mucous lining as a cecotrope.Cecotropes, sometimes called “night feces”, are high in minerals, vitamins and proteins that are necessary to the rabbit’s health. Rabbits eat these to meet their nutritional requirements; the mucous coating allows the nutrients to pass through the adicic stomach for digestion in the intestines.. This process allows rabbits to extract the necessary nutrients from their food.^[6]

[edit] Natural behavior

Outdoor rabbit (side view)

Rabbits, being prey animals, tend to be exploratory in new spaces and if confronted by a potential threat, tend to freeze and observe. Rabbits have a remarkably wide field of vision, and a good deal of it is devoted to overhead scanning. Both indoors and outdoors, rabbits will scan for overhead threats.^[7] They survive by burrowing, hopping away from danger in a zig- zag motion, and delivering powerful kicks with their hind legs. Their teeth are strong to allow them to eat and bite if necessary to get out of struggle.^[8]

[edit] Reproduction

A litter of rabbit kits (baby rabbits)

An abandoned baby rabbit

A nest containing baby rabbits

Rabbits have a very fast reproductive rate. The breeding season for most rabbits lasts 9 months, from February to October. Normal gestation is about 30 days. The average size of the litter varies but is usually between 4 and 12 babies, with larger breeds having larger litters. A kit (baby rabbit) can be weaned at about 4 to 5 weeks of age. This means in one season a single female rabbit can produce as many as 800 children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. A doe is ready to breed at about 6 months of age, and a buck at about 7 months. Courtship and mating is very brief, lasting only 30 to 40 seconds. Courtship behavior involves licking, sniffing, and following the doe. Spraying urine is also a common sexual behavior. Female rabbits are reflex ovulators. The female rabbit also may or may not lose clumps of hair during the gestation period.

Ovulation begins 10 hours after mating. After mating, the female will make a nest or borough, and line the nest with fur from the dewlap, flanks, and belly. This behavior also exposes the nipples enabling her to better nurse the kits. Kits are altricial, which means they’re born blind, naked, and helpless. Passive immunity (immunity acquired by transfer of antibodies or sensitized lymphocytes from another animal) is acquired by kits prior to birth via placental transfer. At about 10 to 11 days after birth, the baby rabbit’s eyes will open, and they will start eating on their own at around 14 days old.

Although born naked, a soft baby coat of hair forms within a few days. At the age of 5 to 6 weeks, the soft baby coat is replaced with a pre-adult coat. At about 6 to 8 months of age, this intermediate coat is replaced by the final adult coat, which is shed twice a year thereafter. Due to the nutritious nature of rabbit milk, kits only need to be nursed for a few minutes once or twice a day.^[9]

[edit] Diet and eating habits

Rabbits are herbivores who feed by grazing on grass, forbs, and leafy weeds. In consequence, their diet contains large amounts of cellulose, which is hard to digest. Rabbits solve this problem by passing two distinct types of feces: hard droppings and soft black viscous pellets, the latter of which are immediately eaten. Rabbits reingest their own droppings (rather than chewing the cud as do cows and many other herbivores) to digest their food further and extract sufficient nutrients.^[10]

Rabbits graze heavily and rapidly for roughly the first half hour of a grazing period (usually in the late afternoon), followed by about half an hour of more selective feeding. In this time, the rabbit will also excrete many hard fecal pellets, being waste pellets that will not be reingested. If the environment is relatively non-threatening, the rabbit will remain outdoors for many hours, grazing at intervals. While out of the burrow, the rabbit will occasionally reingest its soft, partially digested pellets; this is rarely observed, since the pellets are reingested as they are produced. Reingestion is most common within the burrow between 8 o’clock in the morning and 5 o’clock in the evening, being carried out intermittently within that period.

Hard pellets are made up of hay-like fragments of plant cuticle and stalk, being the final waste product after redigestion of soft pellets. These are only released outside the burrow and are not reingested. Soft pellets are usually produced several hours after grazing, after the hard pellets have all been excreted. They are made up of micro-organisms and undigested plant cell walls.

The chewed plant material collects in the large cecum, a secondary chamber between the large and small intestine containing large quantities of symbiotic bacteria that help with the digestion of cellulose and also produce certain B vitamins. The pellets are about 56% bacteria by dry weight, largely accounting for the pellets being 24.4% protein on average. These pellets remain intact for up to six hours in the stomach; the bacteria within continue to digest the plant carbohydrates. The soft feces form here and contain up to five times the vitamins of hard feces. After being excreted, they are eaten whole by the rabbit and redigested in a special part of the stomach. This double-digestion process enables rabbits to use nutrients that they may have missed during the first passage through the gut, and thus ensures that maximum nutrition is derived from the food they eat.^[2] This process serves the same purpose within the rabbit as rumination does in cattle and sheep.^[11]

Rabbits are incapable of vomiting due to the physiology of their digestive system.^[12]

[edit] Rabbit diseases

[edit] Differences from hares

Rabbits are clearly distinguished from hares in that rabbits are altricial, having young that are born blind and hairless. In contrast, hares are generally born with hair and are able to see (precocial). All rabbits except the cottontail rabbit live underground in burrows or warrens, while hares live in simple nests above the ground (as does the cottontail rabbit), and usually do not live in groups. Hares are generally larger than rabbits, with longer ears, and have black markings on their fur. Hares have not been domesticated, while European rabbits are often kept as house pets. In gardens, they are typically kept in hutches — small, wooden, house-like boxes — that protect the rabbits from the environment and predators.

[edit] As pets

European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

Pet rabbits kept indoors are referred to as house rabbits. House rabbits typically have an indoor pen or cage and a rabbit-safe place to run and exercise, such as an exercise pen, living room or family room. Rabbits can be trained to use a litter box and some can learn to come when called. Domestic rabbits that do not live indoors can also often serve as companions for their owners, typically living in an easily accessible hutch outside the home. Some pet rabbits live in outside hutches during the day for the benefit of fresh air and natural daylight and are brought inside at night.

Whether indoor or outdoor, pet rabbits’ pens are often equipped with enrichment activities such as shelves, tunnels, balls, and other toys. Pet rabbits are often provided additional space in which to get exercise, simulating the open space a rabbit would traverse in the wild. Exercise pens or lawn pens are often used to provide a safe place for rabbits to run.

A pet rabbit’s diet typically consists of unlimited timothy-grass, a small amount of pellets, and a small portion of fresh vegetables. Rabbits are social animals. Rabbits as pets can find their companionship with a variety of creatures, including humans, other rabbits, guinea pigs, and sometimes even cats and dogs. Animal welfare organisations such as the House Rabbit Society recommend that rabbits do not make good pets for small children because children generally do not know how to stay quiet, calm, and gentle around rabbits. As prey animals, rabbits are alert, timid creatures that startle easily. They have fragile bones, especially in their backs, that require support on the belly and bottom when picked up. Children 7 years old and older usually have the maturity required to care for a rabbit.^[13]

[edit] As food and clothing

Rabbit meat sold commercially

An Australian ‘Rabbiter’ circa 1900

An old wooden cart, piled with rabbit skins, in New South Wales, Australia

Leporids such as European rabbits and hares are a food meat in Europe, South America, North America, some parts of the Middle East, and China, among other places.

Rabbit is still commonly sold in UK butchers and markets, although not frequently in supermarkets. At farmers markets and the famous Borough Market in London, rabbits will be displayed dead and hanging unbutchered in the traditional style next to braces of pheasant and other small game. Rabbit meat was once commonly sold in Sydney, Australia, the sellers of which giving the name to the rugby league team the South Sydney Rabbitohs, but quickly became unpopular after the disease myxomatosis was introduced in an attempt to wipe out the feral rabbit population (see also Rabbits in Australia).

When used for food, rabbits are both hunted and bred for meat. Snares or guns along with dogs are usually employed when catching wild rabbits for food. In many regions, rabbits are also bred for meat, a practice called cuniculture. Rabbits can then be killed by hitting the back of their heads, a practice from which the term rabbit punch is derived. Rabbit meat is a source of high quality protein.^[14] It can be used in most ways chicken meat is used. In fact, well-known chef Mark Bittman says that domesticated rabbit tastes like chicken because both are blank palettes upon which any desired flavors can be layered.^[15] Rabbit meat is leaner than beef, pork, and chicken meat. Rabbit products are generally labeled in three ways, the first being Fryer. This is a young rabbit between 4.5 and 5 pounds and up to 9 weeks in age.^[16] This type of meat is tender and fine grained. The next product is a Roaster; they are usually over 5 pounds and up to 8 months in age. The flesh is firm and coarse grained and less tender than a fryer. Then there are giblets which include the liver and heart. One of the most common types of rabbit to be bred for meat is New Zealand white rabbit.

There are several health issues associated with the use of rabbits for meat, one of which is Tularemia or Rabbit Fever.^[17] Another is so-called rabbit starvation, due most likely to deficiency of essential fatty acids in rabbit meat. Rabbits are a common food item of large pythons, such as Burmese pythons and reticulated pythons, both in the wild and in captivity.

Rabbit pelts are sometimes used for clothing and accessories, such as scarves or hats. Angora rabbits are bread for their long, fine hair, which can be sheared and harvested like sheep wool. Rabbits are very good producers of manure; additionally, their urine, being high in nitrogen, makes lemon trees very productive. Their milk may also be of great medicinal or nutritional benefit due to its high protein content.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Environmental problems

When introduced into a new area, rabbits can overpopulate rapidly, becoming a nuisance, as on this university campus

European Rabbit in Shropshire, England, infected with the Myxomatosis disease, which is caused by the Myxoma virus

Rabbits have been a source of environmental problems when introduced into the wild by humans. As a result of their appetites, and the rate at which they breed, wild rabbit depredation can be problematic for agriculture. Gassing, barriers (fences), shooting, snaring, and ferreting have been used to control rabbit populations, but the most effective measures are diseases such as myxomatosis (myxo or mixi, colloquially) and calicivirus. In Europe, where rabbits are farmed on a large scale, they are protected against myxomatosis and calicivirus with a genetically modified virus. The virus was developed in Spain, and is beneficial to rabbit farmers. If it were to make its way into wild populations in areas such as Australia, it could create a population boom, as those diseases are the most serious threats to rabbit survival. Rabbits in Australia are considered to be such a pest that land owners are legally obliged to control them.^[18]

[edit] In culture and literature

Rabbits are often used as a symbol of fertility or rebirth, and have long been associated with spring and Easter as the Easter Bunny. The species’ role as a prey animal also lends itself as a symbol of innocence, another Easter connotation.

Additionally, rabbits are often used as symbols of playful sexuality, which also relates to the human perception of innocence, as well as its reputation as a prolific breeder.

[edit] Folklore and mythology

The rabbit often appears in folklore as the trickster archetype, as he uses his cunning to outwit his enemies.

• In Aztec mythology, a pantheon of four hundred rabbit gods known as Centzon Totochtin, led by Ometotchtli or Two Rabbit, represented fertility, parties, and drunkenness.
• In Central Africa, “Kalulu” the rabbit is widely known as a tricky character, getting the better of bargains.^{[citation needed]}
• In Chinese literature, rabbits accompany Chang’e on the Moon. Also associated with the Chinese New Year (or Lunar New Year), rabbits are also one of the twelve celestial animals in the Chinese Zodiac for the Chinese calendar. It is interesting to note that the Vietnamese lunar new year replaced the rabbit with a cat in their calendar, as rabbits did not inhabit Vietnam.
• A rabbit’s foot is carried as an amulet believed to bring good luck. This is found in many parts of the world, and with the earliest use being in Europe around 600 B.C.^[19]
• In Japanese tradition, rabbits live on the Moon where they make mochi, the popular snack of mashed sticky rice. This comes from interpreting the pattern of dark patches on the moon as a rabbit standing on tiptoes on the left pounding on an usu, a Japanese mortar (See also: Moon rabbit).
• In Jewish folklore, rabbits (shfanim שפנים) are associated with cowardice, a usage still current in contemporary Israeli spoken Hebrew (similar to English colloquial use of “chicken” to denote cowardice).
• A Korean myth similar to the Japanese counterpart presents rabbits living on the moon making rice cakes (Tteok in Korean).
• In Native American Ojibwe mythology, Nanabozho, or Great Rabbit, is an important deity related to the creation of the world.
• A Vietnamese mythological story portrays the rabbit of innocence and youthfulness. The Gods of the myth are shown to be hunting and killing rabbits to show off their power.
• “Taushan Tepe” (Rabbit Hill) was the Turkish name of Kabile, Bulgaria.

On the Isle of Portland in Dorset, UK, the rabbit is said to be unlucky and speaking its name can cause upset with older residents. This is thought to date back to early times in the quarrying industry, where piles of extracted stone (not fit for sale) were built into tall rough walls (to save space) directly behind the working quarry face; the rabbit’s natural tendency to burrow would weaken these “walls” and cause collapse, often resulting in injuries or even death. The name rabbit is often substituted with words such as “long ears” or “underground mutton”, so as not to have to say the actual word and bring bad luck to oneself. It is said that a public house (on the island) can be cleared of people by calling out the word rabbit and while this was very true in the past, it has gradually become more fable than fact over the past 50 years.

[edit] Other fictional rabbits

The rabbit as trickster appears in American popular culture; for example the Br’er Rabbit character from African-American folktales and Disney animation; and the Warner Bros. cartoon character Bugs Bunny.

Anthropomorphized rabbits have appeared in a host of works of film, literature, and technology, notably the White Rabbit and the March Hare in Lewis Carroll‘s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland; in the popular novels Watership Down, by Richard Adams (which has also been made into a movie) and Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson, as well as in Beatrix Potter‘s Peter Rabbit stories.

[edit] Urban legends

It was commonly believed that pregnancy tests were based on the idea that a rabbit would die if injected with a pregnant woman’s urine. This is not true. However, in the 1920s it was discovered that if the urine contained the hCG, a hormone found in the bodies of pregnant women, the rabbit would display ovarian changes. The rabbit would then be killed to have its ovaries inspected, but the death of the rabbit was not the indicator of the results. Later revisions of the test allowed technicians to inspect the ovaries without killing the animal. A similar test involved injecting Xenopus frogs to make them lay eggs, but animal tests for pregnancy have been made obsolete by faster, cheaper, and simpler modern methods.

[edit] Classifications

Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus)

Rabbits and hares were formerly classified in the order Rodentia (rodent) until 1912, when they were moved into a new order Lagomorpha. This order also includes pikas.

Order Lagomorpha

• Family Leporidae
  • Genus Pentalagus
    • Amami Rabbit/Ryūkyū Rabbit, Pentalagus furnessi
  • Genus Bunolagus
    • Bushman Rabbit, Bunolagus monticularis
  • Genus Nesolagus
    • Sumatran Striped Rabbit, Nesolagus netscheri
    • Annamite Striped Rabbit, Nesolagus timminsi
  • Genus Romerolagus
    • Volcano Rabbit, Romerolagus diazi
  • Genus Brachylagus
    • Pygmy Rabbit, Brachylagus idahoensis
  • Genus Sylvilagus
    • Forest Rabbit, Sylvilagus brasiliensis
    • Dice’s Cottontail, Sylvilagus dicei
    • Brush Rabbit, Sylvilagus bachmani
    • San Jose Brush Rabbit, Sylvilagus mansuetus
    • Swamp Rabbit, Sylvilagus aquaticus
    • Marsh Rabbit, Sylvilagus palustris
    • Eastern Cottontail, Sylvilagus floridanus
    • New England Cottontail, Sylvilagus transitionalis
    • Mountain Cottontail, Sylvilagus nuttallii
    • Desert Cottontail, Sylvilagus audubonii
    • Omilteme Cottontail, Sylvilagus insonus
    • Mexican Cottontail, Sylvilagus cunicularis
    • Tres Marias Rabbit, Sylvilagus graysoni
  • Genus Oryctolagus
    • European Rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus
  • Genus Poelagus
    • Central African Rabbit, Poelagus marjorita
  • Three other genera in family, regarded as hares, not rabbits

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rabbit breeds

[edit] See also

• Cecotrope
• Cuniculture
• Domestic rabbit
• Dwarf rabbits
• European Rabbit
• House rabbit
• Jackalope
• List of fictional rabbits
• List of animal names
• Rabbit hopping
• Rabbits in Australia
• Three hares

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

• Windling, Terri. The Symbolism of Rabbits and Hares.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rabbit

Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on Rabbit

• American Rabbit Breeders Association an organization which promotes all phases of rabbit keeping.
• House Rabbit Society an activist organization which promotes keeping rabbits indoors.
• RabbitShows.com an informational site on the hobby of showing rabbits.
• The (mostly) silent language of rabbits
• World Rabbit Science Association an international rabbit-health science-based organization.