Guinea pigs are not pigs.

Guinea Pigs-we have heard and read about them in news papers used as experimental animals in the laboratory.

But do you know that guinea pigs are neither pigs not do they come from Guinea?
Very interesting-isn't it?

Have you seen the guinea pigs? Look at the picture below.














They are originally native to the Andes. The guinea pig plays an important role in the folk culture of indigenous South Americans, especially as a food source, but also in folk medicine and in community religious ceremonies.

In Western societies, the guinea pig has enjoyed widespread popularity as a household pet since its introduction by European traders in the sixteenth century.

"Guinea pig" is also used as a by-word in English for a subject of experimentation; this usage became common in the first half of the twentieth century. Biological experimentation on guinea pigs has been carried out since the seventeenth century; the animals were frequently used as a model organism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Guinea pigs who become familiar with their owner will whistle upon approach.

Gratitude: Wikipedia.