Not rodents!

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Sgboyd

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Just ran into multiple articles stating cavies are a species of mammal call lagomorphs. Similar to rodents but not rodents at all.

Now I have even more reasons to yell at people who call my babies rats.
 
Pretty sure Guinea pigs are rodents. Lagamorphes are more like rabbits. Not sure what the scientific definition is as I always thought rodents were mammals with continuously growing teeth but so are lagamorphes.
 
Sweet Potato said:
Pretty sure Guinea pigs are rodents. Lagamorphes are more like rabbits. Not sure what the scientific definition is as I always thought rodents were mammals with continuously growing teeth but so are lagamorphes.
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Yes they do both have continuously growing teeth but I believe the difference between lagomorphs (rabbits) and guinea pigs (rodents) is jaw structure and number of teeth
 
Guinea pigs are most definitely classified as rodents. Do you have a link to the articles you read?
 
There is some scientific debate as to whether guinea pigs should be classed as rodents or whether they should receive a separate, related family, similar to lagomorphs (rabbits.) As of right now, I they are still classed as rodents, but there are arguments on both sides.

Personally I love rodents and think they have a bad reputation... I've had various rodents as pets since I was a kid and the only drawback is the short lifespan for many species. Right now we have guinea pigs and Syrian hamsters and I love them both!
 
edna&mildred said:
Nothing wrong with rodents! I adore rats and constantly tempted to get more but still a bit heartbroken from when my last four died.

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Adorable! I do love animals with red eyes! My first pet mouse as a small child was grey with red eyes and a white blaze up her nose. I still have a soft spot for her in my heart!
 
Class Mammalia
Order Rodentia
Sub-order Hystricomorpha
Family Caviidae

Apparently there was a bit of controversy in the 1990s with some scientists arguing that some DNA sequence data would make more evolutionary sense if Caviidae were not classed as rodents. Then many other scientists since then did more extensive DNA analysis and found extremely rodent-specific DNA sequences in piggies that along with their anatomy confirms they are indeed rodents.
 
Are there any other animals in the cavide family? What about in the hystricomorphia sub-group? I find this stuff fascinating despite being completely clueless on the subject.
 
It was something about the skull that brought them into lagomorph land. I'm at work atm. Let me look when I get off work. I stumbled on it then got pulled down the google trail so I found quite a few articles on it.
 
edna&mildred said:
Nothing wrong with rodents! I adore rats and constantly tempted to get more but still a bit heartbroken from when my last four died.

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Beautiful! :love::love: I love them but no more for me after my boys either (well no planned ones, probably couldn’t say no if someone asked me for emergency ratty housing! :doh:), they’re little heartbreakers!
 
PigglePuggle said:
Took this photo at Blackpool zoo last year:
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Mara and Capybara! Mara are adapted to run fast in short grass, capybara do well in swampy wet places and even swim, while piggy ancestors stayed smaller to hide in long grass :) all Caviidae, all rodents!
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What a gorgeous pic, so good for comparisons too! :love: Capybaras are up there for me, swimmers and so beautiful! It’s amazing how different they all are, you wouldn’t think my liccle 500g Pedro could be related to such a mahoosive beasty! :luv:
 
PigglePuggle said:
Took this photo at Blackpool zoo last year:
View attachment 167647
Mara and Capybara! Mara are adapted to run fast in short grass, capybara do well in swampy wet places and even swim, while piggy ancestors stayed smaller to hide in long grass :) all Caviidae, all rodents!
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Mara and capybara are beautiful! Thanks for the info on them @PigglePuggle :)
 
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