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Peruvian Guinea Pig
There are many breeds of guinea pig or cavy which have been developed since its domestication circa 5000 BCE. Breeds vary widely in appearance and purpose, ranging from show breeds with long, flowing hair to laboratory breeds being used as model organisms for science. From roughly 1200 to 1532 CE (during the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire), selective breeding by indigenous South American people resulted in many landrace varieties of domestic guinea pigs, which form the basis for some formal modern breeds. Early Andean varieties were primarily kept as agricultural stock for food, and efforts at improving cavy breeds (''cuy'') bred for food continue to the modern era, with entirely separate breeds that focus on size and disease resistance. With the export of guinea pigs to Europe in the 15th century, the goal in breeding shifted to focus on the development of appealing pets. To this end, various competitive breeding organizations were founded by fanciers. The American Cavy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Breed
A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slightly deviating definitions. Breeds are formed through genetic isolation and either natural adaptation to the environment or selective breeding, or a combination of the two. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry and agriculture, no single, scientifically accepted definition of the term exists. A breed is therefore not an objective or biologically verifiable classification but is instead a term of art amongst groups of breeders who share a consensus around what qualities make some members of a given species members of a nameable subset. Another point of view is that a breed is consistent enough in type to be logically grouped together and when mated within the group produce the same type. When bred together, ind ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
