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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
Guinea pig pups are born with fur and open eyes.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Guinea pig
- Scientific name
- Cavia porcellus
- Japanese name
- テンジクネズミ（モルモット）
- Group
- Land mammals
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Caviidae
- Genus
- Cavia
The guinea pig is a domesticated animal; in Japanese it is also called morumotto.
It comes from animals that people in the mountains of South America began keeping for food long ago.
Because it is gentle and gets used to people easily, it was taken to Europe, and now it is kept as a pet all over the world.
It is a rodent with no tail, and its small, petal-shaped ears sit on the sides of its head.
How the Guinea pig lives
They are active at dawn and dusk. They eat plants such as grasses. They sometimes huddle together for warmth.
Smithsonian National ZooBasic data
- Size
- Head and body length: 30–40 cm上野動物園
- Weight
- 700–1,100 gUniversity of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
- Lifespan
- 7–8 years上野動物園
- Active
- At dawn and duskUniversity of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
Where the Guinea pig has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 简体中文
- 家养豚鼠
- 繁體中文
- 豚鼠
- 한국어
- 기니피그
- Español
- Cuy
- Français
- Cochon d'Inde
- Deutsch
- Hausmeerschweinchen
- Português (Brasil)
- Porquinho-da-índia
- Italiano
- Cavia domestica
- हिन्दी
- गिनी पिग
- العربية
- كابياء خنزيرية
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Cuy
- Tiếng Việt
- Chuột lang nhà
- Русский
- Морская свинка
- Türkçe
- Kobay
- ไทย
- หนูตะเภา
- বাংলা
- গিনিপিগ
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 上野動物園 — テンジクネズミ（モルモット）Checked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Cavia porcellusChecked: 2026-11-03
- Smithsonian National Zoo — Guinea pigChecked: 2026-11-05
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Guinea pig, look for this
- Look at their fur, which varies in length, color and texture.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
Smithsonian National ZooEXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Guinea pig
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Caviidae
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