Caviidae Fossil range: Middle Miocene - Recent
Mara, genus Dolichotis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Rodentia Family: Caviidae Fischer de Waldheim, 1817
Subfamilies
Caviinae  Dolichotinae  Hydrochoerinae

The Cavy family (Caviidae) is a family of rodents native to South America, and including the domestic guinea pig, wild cavies, and the capybara, among other animals. The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene period and extends from about 23 For other uses see Mara. The maras ( Dolichotis) are a Genus of the cavy family Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands Rodentia is an order of Mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously-growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must Johann Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim ( Grigorij Ivanovitsch Fischer von Waldheim in Russian) ( October 13, 1771 &ndash October 18, Caviinae is a subfamily uniting all living members of the family Caviidae with the exception of the maras Capybaras and Kerodon. For other uses see Mara. The maras ( Dolichotis) are a Genus of the cavy family The Hydrochoerinae are a subfamily of the Caviidae, consisting of two living genera Hydrochoerus, the Capybara and Kerodon, In Biological classification, family ( Latin Rodentia is an order of Mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously-growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a The Guinea pig (also commonly called the cavy after its scientific name Cavia porcellus) is a species of Rodent belonging to the family Caviidae Capybara ( Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) also known as capibara, chigüire in Venezuela chigüiro, carpincho They are found across the continent, in open areas from moist savanna to thorn forests or scrub desert. A savanna or savannah is a Tropical or Subtropical Grassland or Woodland Ecosystem. Acacia is a Genus of Shrubs and Trees belonging to the Subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first A forest is an area with a high density of Trees There are many definitions of a forest based on various criteria Scrubland is a Plant community characterized by scrub Vegetation. A desert is a Landscape or region that receives very little precipitation.

Characteristics

With the exception of the maras, which have a more rabbit-like appearance, caviids have short, heavy bodies, and large heads. Rabbits are small Mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world They have no visible tails. The tail is the section at the rear end of an Animal 's Body; in general the term refers to a distinct flexible Appendage to the Torso. They range in size from the smaller cavies at 22cm 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 with a body weight of 35 to 66 kilograms. Even larger forms existed in the Pliocene, such as Phugatherium, which was about the size of a tapir^[1]. The Pliocene epoch (spelled Pleiocene in some older texts is the period in the Geologic timescale that extends Tapirs (ˈteɪpɚ as in "taper" or /təˈpɪər/ as "ta-pier" are large browsing Mammals, roughly pig-like in shape with short

They are herbivores, eating tough grasses or softer leaves, depending on species. Herbivory is a form of Predation in which an Organism, known as a herbivore, consumes principally Autotrophs ref name=Campbell>Campbell The dental formula is similar to that of other rodents:

1. Dentition is the development of Teeth and their arrangement in the Mouth. 0. 1. 3

1. 0. 1. 3

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. Gestation is the carrying of an Embryo or Fetus inside a Female Viviparous Animal. In most species, they are sexually mature within a few months of birth, although in capybaras, maturity is not reached until around 18 months^[2].

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. Monogamy is the custom or condition of having only one mate in a Relationship, thus forming a Couple. Capybaras live in groups of around ten individuals, and sometimes many more, each with a single dominant male, and a number of females, subordinate males, and juveniles^[2].

Classification

Family Caviidae

• Subfamily Caviinae: Guinea pigs (cavies)
  • Genus Cavia, this genus is especially called cavy. Caviinae is a subfamily uniting all living members of the family Caviidae with the exception of the maras Capybaras and Kerodon. The Guinea pig (also commonly called the cavy after its scientific name Cavia porcellus) is a species of Rodent belonging to the family Caviidae Cavia is a genus in the Caviinae subfamily that contains the rodents commonly known as guinea pigs
  • Genus Galea
  • Genus Microcavia: Desert cavies
• Subfamily Dolichotinae
  • Genus Dolichotis: Patagonian hares, or maras
• Subfamily Hydrochoerinae
  • Genus Hydrochoerus: Capybara
  • Genus Kerodon: Rock cavy

References

• Woods, C. A. and C. W. Kilpatrick. 2005. Pp 1538-1600 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference 3rd ed. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D. C.

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