List of guinea pig breeds

Guinea pigs, also known as cavies, have been domesticated since around 5000 BCE, leading to the development of a diverse array of breeds. These breeds exhibit a wide range of physical characteristics and serve various purposes. Some are show breeds, notable for their long, flowing hair, while others are laboratory breeds, used as model organisms in scientific research. The period from 1200 to 1532 CE, which coincides with the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, saw indigenous South Americans selectively breeding guinea pigs. This resulted in numerous landrace varieties of domestic guinea pigs, which have since become the foundation for some of the formal modern breeds. Early Andean varieties were primarily kept as agricultural stock for food, and efforts at improving cavy breeds (cuy) bred for food continue to the modern era, with entirely separate breeds that focus on size and disease resistance.

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