Description

A couple of months ago, I got an American Guinea Pig which I am to look after with my sister. He goes by the name of Chester. His fur is brown and white and he is roughly a year and a half old. I will observe him four times a week for my Nature Project which was given to me by my English teacher. In this blog I will be following and describing his silly adventures and interactions with the people and things he comes across on a day to day basis.

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Chester's Long-lost Relative

Top Picture: by me 8/13
Bottom Picture: http://cookieclicker.wikia.com/wiki/File:Capybara-02.jpg
Chester was in his playpen minding his own business when he had one of the most frightening experiences of his whole life. Meeting my little cousin. Her name is Vanessa and she is three years old. Seeing Chester sparked her curiosity and she began to chase him all around his cage while Chester tried to run away from her on his chubby little legs as best he could. Once Chester began to squeak for help, I took her away and calmed Chester down with some kale. This made me think though. Who are Chester's relatives?

 After some research, I learned that guinea pigs are closely related to the Capybara. Guinea pigs and capybaras both are native to South America and live in groups called herds ("Guinea Pig Fun Facts"; "Rainforest Capybara"). Capybaras live in herds made up of predominantly submissive males and females with are led by a male leader ("Rainforest Capybara"). This was interesting because I began to realize that even though guinea pigs and capybaras have a huge size difference—A 4.3 foot capybara ("Rainforest Capybara")  vs. a 10 inch guinea pig ("Guinea Pig Profile...")—they are a lot alike. As I continued my research on capybaras, I noticed that a lot of their characteristics reminded me of Chester's. For example, they both have teeth that grew continuously, they both eat a lot, and they both eat their own poop for needed nutrients ("Guinea Pig Profile..."; "Rainforest Capybara").

 I wonder what Chester would do if he ever met a capybara? Would he like it or possibly try to fight it for dominance? Though these questions may never be answered, it's not hard to imagine Chester trying to hide from a capybara like he tried to hide from my cousin.



Works Cited

Foster, Race, and Marty Smith. "Guinea Pig Fun Facts." Doctors Foster and 
     Smith. N.p., 2014. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
       Foster, Race, and Marty Smith. "Guinea Pig Profile: In-Depth." Doctors
             Foster and Smith. N.p., 2014. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
"Guinea Pigs." Pet Guinea Pig Care. N.p., 2014. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
"Rainforest Capybara." Animal Corner. N.p., 2007. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
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3 comments:

  1. lfariasOctober 26, 2014 at 9:30 PM

    I think the fact that most intrigues me is that their teeth grow continuously. How can that be? Don't they get overly long? or do they keep them chewed down? Awesome blog.

    ReplyDelete
  2. ivette reyesOctober 29, 2014 at 7:04 PM

    I have never though of animals and if they have a cousins like us . It's funny how they look exactly alike. But your guinea pig looks way cuter:) Haha their faces look exactly alike to!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Gale CervantesOctober 31, 2014 at 11:45 AM

    This was really interesting, you got great information. I think you should get more guinea pigs so Chester could live in a herd.

    ReplyDelete

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