<P> Guinea pigs are large for rodents, weighing between 700 and 1,200 g (1.5 and 2.6 lb), and measuring between 20 and 25 cm (8 and 10 in) in length . Modern breeding of cuy guinea pigs has resulted in animals weighing 2,700 grams (6.0 lb). They live an average of four to five years, but may live as long as eight years . According to the 2006 Guinness World Records, the longest living guinea pig survived 14 years, 10.5 months . </P> <P> In the 1990s, a minority scientific opinion emerged proposing that caviomorphs, such as guinea pigs, chinchillas, and degus, are not rodents and should be reclassified as a separate order of mammals (similar to lagomorphs). Subsequent research using wider sampling restored the consensus among mammalian biologists regarding the current classification of rodents as monophyletic . </P> <P> C. porcellus is not found naturally in the wild; it is likely descended from closely related species of cavies, such as C. aperea, C. fulgida, and C. tschudii, which are still commonly found in various regions of South America . Studies from 2007--2010 applied molecular markers and studied the skull and skeletal morphology of current and mummified animals, thereby revealing the ancestor to most likely be Cavia tschudii . Some species of cavy identified in the 20th century, such as C. anolaimae and C. guianae, may be domestic guinea pigs that have become feral by reintroduction into the wild . Wild cavies are found on grassy plains and occupy an ecological niche similar to that of cattle . They are social, living in the wild in small groups that consist of several females (sows), a male (boar), and the young (which, in a break with the preceding porcine nomenclature, are called "pups" not "piglets"). They move together in groups (herds) eating grass or other vegetation, and do not store food . While they do not burrow themselves or build nests, they frequently seek shelter in the burrows of other animals, as well as in crevices and tunnels formed by vegetation . They tend to be most active during dawn and dusk (crepuscular), when it is harder for predators to spot them . </P> <P> Domesticated guinea pigs thrive in groups of two or more; groups of sows, or groups of one or more sows and a neutered boar are common combinations, but boars can sometimes live together . Guinea pigs learn to recognize and bond with other individual pigs, and testing of boars shows their neuroendocrine stress response is significantly lowered in the presence of a bonded female when compared to the presence of unfamiliar females . Groups of boars may also get along, provided their cage has enough space, they are introduced at an early age, and no females are present . Domestic guinea pigs have developed a different biological rhythm from their wild counterparts, and have longer periods of activity followed by short periods of sleep in between . Activity is scattered randomly throughout the day; aside from an avoidance of intense light, no regular circadian patterns are apparent . </P>

Where do you find guinea pigs in the wild
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