Cavia aperea
Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
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 Iguaçu National Park on a given day, based on 21 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 6th most-seen of the 13 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Brazilian Guinea Pig in Iguaçu National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January and March, the lowest months.
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 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Brazilian Guinea Pig sightings, Iguaçu National Park ranks 4th at about 20%. The best odds are in Chingaza National Natural Park (Colombia, about 40%), Iberá National Park (Argentina, about 30%) and Iguazú National Park (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 Iguaçu National Park (21 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
