Cavia aperea
Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
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 →
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
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chingaza National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Iberá National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Curitiba | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Rosario | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Porto Alegre | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Bogota | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 6 | São Paulo | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pairi Daiza | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 2 | Barcelona Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Ostrava Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 4 | Banham Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Wildpark Poing | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Hellabrunn Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Aquarama Barcelona | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 8 | Tierpark Schlichtweg 15 in München | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 9 | Wiwa Quito | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 10 | Zoo Schlichtweg 11 in München | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 11 | Zoo Siebenbrunner Straße 6 in München | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Brazilian Guinea Pig sighting in Porto Alegre on a given day, based on 24 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and February
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Brazilian Guinea Pig in Porto Alegre on a given day, against about 10% in August, the lowest month.
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.
4th of 6
Of the 6 cities where we can rate Brazilian Guinea Pig sightings, Porto Alegre ranks 4th at about 20%. The best odds are in Curitiba (Brazil, about 40%), Rosario (Argentina, about 30%) and Buenos Aires (Argentina, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Brazilian Guinea Pig is recorded against all the mammals logged in Porto Alegre (24 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.
