:: How I've Adapted Through the Ages!  

A guinea pig laying in the grass, found in the free domainGuinea pigs have many adaptations.  Several of their sensory adaptations aid in the guinea pigs flight over fight method. Their hearing has been highly developed and is much better than humans.  This is especially evident at high frequencies.  The guinea pigs hearing aids in the identification of a predator, whether it is coming or not.  Their sense of smell is very keen as well.  Unlike hamsters and many other rodents, guinea pigs have color vision but have poor depth perception. 

Guinea pigs have developed hairs on their muzzles (called vibrissae) that the animal uses to measure the width of openings.  This is a great adaptation for Cavia porcellus because they are crepuscular (move around at twilight) and the vibrissae help the creature find its bearings in the dark.  Guinea pigs are by nature defenseless animals, but in the wild they have adapted to this fall back.  The guinea pigs lay down a many-branched network of tramped-down pathways between their burrows and feeding places.  With this network of paths, the animals know their way around very well and can flee predators swiftly.  Another adaptation (given by nature) to keep the guinea pig from extinction is its ability to rapidly reproduce.

A guinea pig's teeth, found in the free domainGuinea pigs teeth grow continuously.  In order to keep their teeth at the right length and to keep them in a healthy state this animal has adapted to gnaw and chew on wood, their food and basically anything else! Want to learn more interesting facts? Go here!

Previously stated was the guinea pigs idea of flight over fight method.  These creatures have three main ways of responding to fear.  The first is to freeze.  A guinea pig that uses this approach will stay very, very still and sometimes the animal will even hold its breath for a stretch of time.  The second way to respond to fear is to flee the scene.  Some guinea pigs will freeze for a few seconds then run away quickly to hide under or behind some type of structure. The third and final approach is for the guinea pig to fight.  Very rarely do guinea pigs fight back but on some occasions they do.  The creature’s way of combating is to chew on or bite its opposition.