Brazilian Guinea Pig

Brazilian Guinea Pig

Cavia aperea

Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Bogota

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

170 Verified sightings at Bogota
80 In all 4 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Brazilian Guinea Pig

The Brazilian guinea pig (Cavia aperea) (preá in Portuguese) is a wild guinea pig species found in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela. Cavia aperea has been successfully mated to the domestic guinea pig, Cavia porcellus, though many females become infertile in successive generations.

Brazilian guinea pigs are mainly diurnal animals and are narrower and longer than domesticated guinea pigs. This is a medium-sized guinea pig with an adult length of about 272 mm (11 in) and a weight of 637 grams (22.5 oz). The tail, at around 2.4 mm, is almost non-existent. The dorsal fur is dark olive-brown mixed with brown and black, and the underparts are a pale grey or yellowish-grey.

The Brazilian guinea pig has a wide distribution in South America at altitudes between 400 and 3,000 metres (1,300 and 9,800 ft) above sea level. Its range extends from Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela to areas in the north of Argentina. Its typical habitat is open grassland and savannah.

Cavia aperea is... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Uncertain0:37

Colombia · 2026

© Paul Stewart - En8patas · XC1156121 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Recording1:01

Argentina · 2025

© Juan M. Atencio · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Recording0:19

Argentina · 2013

© Leonardo Adrián LEIVA · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Chingaza National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~40%
2 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~30%
3 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~20%
4 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Curitiba 🇧🇷 Brazil
~40%
2 Rosario 🇦🇷 Argentina
~30%
3 Buenos Aires 🇦🇷 Argentina
~20%
4 Porto Alegre 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
5 Bogota 🇨🇴 Colombia
~20%
6 São Paulo 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Pairi Daiza 🇧🇪 Belgium In captivity
2 Barcelona Zoo 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
3 Ostrava Zoo 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
4 Banham Zoo 🇬🇧 United Kingdom In captivity
5 Wildpark Poing 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
6 Hellabrunn Zoo 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
7 Aquarama Barcelona 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
8 Tierpark Schlichtweg 15 in München 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
9 Wiwa Quito 🇪🇨 Ecuador In captivity
10 Zoo Schlichtweg 11 in München 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
11 Zoo Siebenbrunner Straße 6 in München 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Brazilian Guinea Pig in Bogota?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Brazilian Guinea Pig sighting in Bogota on a given day, based on 170 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the most-seen of the 5 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Brazilian Guinea Pig in Bogota?

July

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Brazilian Guinea Pig in Bogota on a given day, against about 10% in August and October–November, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Brazilian Guinea Pig?

Between 3 and 6 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Brazilian Guinea Pig sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Bogota the best place to see a Brazilian Guinea Pig?

5th of 6

Of the 6 cities where we can rate Brazilian Guinea Pig sightings, Bogota ranks 5th at about 20%. The best odds are in Curitiba (Brazil, about 40%), Rosario (Argentina, about 30%) and Buenos Aires (Argentina, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Brazilian Guinea Pig live in Bogota?

Same order: Rodentia

The closest relatives of the Brazilian Guinea Pig that you can see in Bogota (order Rodentia, Rodents) are Brown Rat (about 10%) and Red-tailed Squirrel (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Brazilian Guinea Pig sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Brazilian Guinea Pig is recorded against all the mammals logged in Bogota (170 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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