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Do you know the origin of the beloved guinea pigs?🐹
📸Photo by: E. van Herk (2004)
📍Unknown
There is no doubt that pets are important beings that bring joy to our homes, they are faithful companions, and they leave us a deep emptiness when they leave. Rodents are one of the favorites when choosing your ideal pet, mainly hamsters and guinea pigs. Next, we will share information regarding its origins...
A journalistic note published in "noticiasdelaciencia", a popular science journal
Science reveals the origin of this species🔬
Scientists from the University of Otago obtained valuable data on the domestication of guinea pigs and on how and why these little furry animals were distributed around the world.
📸Photo by: Christine
📍Washington State, USA
The results of that study were published in the international scientific journal Scientific Reports, and it was reported that the researchers used ancient DNA from archaeological remains of guinea pigs, which revealed the transition of these animals, which were used as a source of wild food ago. 10,000 years, this led to their domestication and later role as beloved pets and as models of animals in medicine.
Edana Lord and the origin of guinea pigs👩⚕
It all starts from a study conducted for a thesis in** Matisoo-Smith's laboratory**, the thesis of Edana Lord, now at Stockholm University, Sweden, and Dr. Catherine Collins from the Otago Department of Anatomy and other international researchers, were They proposed to find out where the guinea pigs that were introduced to the Caribbean islands came from.
📸Photo by: Gustavo Fernando Durán
📍Santa Fe, Argentina
The researchers explain that it is generally accepted that modern guinea pigs were domesticated in the Andean region of what is now Peru. Being an important food that was also included in religious ceremonies😱, it was transported and traded throughout South America.
Guinea pigs and the Caribbean Islands🌴
It is said that around 500 AD, guinea pigs were brought to the Caribbean islands, through at least one of several commercial networks established at the time. The researchers had hoped that the guinea pigs found in the Caribbean came from Colombia, one of the places in South America closest to the Caribbean, but they were surprised...
📸Photo by: Tim Strater
📍Wiele-waal, Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland
Using ancient DNA from guinea pig remains excavated from various sites in the Caribbean, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Europe, and North America, they found that island guinea pigs were not native to Colombia, but rather It was likely that they came from Peru, but there is still more...
What surprised the researchers the most was that the guinea pig remains found in the highlands of Colombia appeared to be of a totally different species! This suggests that the domestication of guinea pigs probably took place independently in both Peru and Colombia!🐹
It was more complex than we thought!
The reason why the guinea pig was viewed as a pet in some cultures and a food source in others can probably be attributed to long-established cultural notions of what is regarded as food.
📸Photo by: Ritesh
📍Mangalam R.F., Tamil Nadu, India
Matisoo-Smith points out that the research shows that the history of guinea pigs is more complex than previously known and has implications for other studies on the domestication, translocation and distribution of mammals - that is, these implications could affect other species.
Did you find the information interesting❓
Did you know the origin of guinea pigs❓🐹
Let us know what you think in the comments❗️
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