Caviidae, the cavy

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

, is composed of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...

s native to

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

and includes the

domestic guinea pig The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig (''Cavia porcellus''), also known as the cavy or domestic cavy (), is a species of rodent belonging to the genus '' Cavia'' in the family Caviidae. Breeders tend to use the word ''cavy'' to describe the an ...

, wild cavies, and the largest living rodent, the capybara. They are found across South America in open areas from moist

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland- grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

thorn forest A thorn forest is a dense scrubland with vegetation characteristic of dry subtropical and warm temperate areas with a seasonal rainfall averaging . Regions Africa Is present in the southwest of Africa with smaller areas in other places of Africa. ...

s or scrub desert. This family of rodents has fewer members than most other rodent families, with 19 species in 6 genera in 3 subfamilies.

Characteristics

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

tail The tail is the section at the rear end of certain kinds of animals’ bodies; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammal ...

s. They range in size from the smaller cavies at 22 cm in body length, and 300 grams in weight, up to the capybara, the largest of all rodents at 106 to 134 cm in length, and body weights of 35 to 66 kilograms. Even larger forms existed in the

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Phugatherium'', which was about the size of a

tapir Tapirs ( ) are large, herbivorous mammals belonging to the family Tapiridae. They are similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile nose trunk. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South and Central America, with one species inh ...

. They are herbivores, eating tough grasses or softer leaves, depending on species. The

dental formula Dentition pertains to the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. In particular, it is the characteristic arrangement, kind, and number of teeth in a given species at a given age. That is, the number, type, and morpho-physiolog ...

is similar to that of various other rodents: . Females give birth to two or three furred and active young after a gestation period of 50 to 90 days in most species, or 150 days in the capybara. In most species, they are sexually mature within a few months of birth, although in capybaras, maturity is not reached until around 18 months. Social organisation varies widely among the group. Many cavies are promiscuous, forming no long-lasting social groups, although, in some species, males maintain harems of two or more females. In contrast, maras are monogamous, and form temporary colonial creches to care for the young of multiple mothers. Capybaras live in groups of around 10 individuals, and sometimes many more, each with a single dominant male, and a number of females, subordinate males, and juveniles.

Classification

The family Caviidae is a sister group to the family

Dasyproctidae Dasyproctidae is a family of large South American rodents, comprising the agoutis and acouchis. Their fur is a reddish or dark colour above, with a paler underside. They are herbivorous, often feeding on ripe fruit that falls from trees. They liv ...

, 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 *Subfamily

Caviinae Caviinae is a subfamily uniting all living members of the family Caviidae with the exception of the maras, capybaras, and ''Kerodon''. The subfamily traditionally contained the guinea pig or cavy-like forms along with the cursorially adapted ( ...

guinea pig The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig (''Cavia porcellus''), also known as the cavy or domestic cavy (), is a species of rodent belonging to the genus '' Cavia'' in the family Caviidae. Breeders tend to use the word ''cavy'' to describe the ...

s (cavies) **Genus ''

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'', a meat animal in South America and a common ...

'' (at least six species), this genus is especially called "cavy." **Genus '' Galea'' (four extant species) **Genus ''

Microcavia ''Microcavia'' (mountain cavies) is a genus of rodents in the family Caviidae. They are unique within their family in that their premolar teeth do not grow and replace the original deciduous cheek teeth until after the animal is born; in other g ...

'' (three extant species): mountain cavies *Subfamily

Dolichotinae Maras, subfamily Dolichotinae, are a group of rodents in the family Caviidae. These large relatives of guinea pigs are common in the Patagonian steppes of Argentina, but also live in Paraguay and elsewhere in South America. There are two extant ...

**Genus ''

Dolichotis ''Dolichotis'' is a genus of the cavy family of rodents. These large relatives of guinea pigs are common in the Patagonian steppes of Argentina, but also live in Paraguay and elsewhere in South America. It contains a single extant species, the Pa ...

'' (one extant species): Patagonian mara **Genus '' Pediolagus'' (one species): Chacoan mara *Subfamily

Hydrochoerinae Hydrochoerinae is a subfamily of Caviidae, consisting of two living genera, '' Hydrochoerus'', the capybaras, and ''Kerodon'', the rock cavies. In addition, a number of extinct genera related to capybaras should also be placed in this subfamily. ...

**Genus ''

Hydrochoerus The genus ''Hydrochoerus'' contains two living and two extinct species of rodents from South America, the Caribbean island of Grenada, California and Panama. Capybaras are the largest living rodents in the world. The genus name is derived from t ...

'' (two extant species): capybara **Genus ''

Kerodon The genus ''Kerodon'' (vernacular name Mocos; Rock Cavies) contains two species of South American rock cavies, related to capybaras and guinea pigs. They are found in semiarid regions of northeast Brazil known as the Caatinga. This area has a roc ...

'' (two species): rock cavy

References

* {{Authority control Hystricognath rodents Rodent families Rodents of South America Miocene rodents Neogene rodents Quaternary rodents Neogene mammals of South America Quaternary mammals of South America Extant Miocene first appearances Taxa named by Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim