What is a guinea pig? Detailed answer

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What is a guinea pig? Detailed answer

Big encyclopedia for children and adults

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What is a guinea pig?

The guinea pig has nothing to do with the pig, it is related to hares and rabbits. In other words, the guinea pig is a real rodent and was bred by the ancient Incas in Peru, Ecuador and Colombia long before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the New World. The Indians ate them and considered them a great delicacy. By the way, after the discovery of America, guinea pigs were exported to Europe for the same purpose.

Today, only a few tribes living in Peru eat guinea pigs. But all over the world guinea pigs are very popular as pets. Guinea pigs reach a length of 25 cm and weigh about 1 kg. They do not have a tail and have small, round ears that are hairless. Guinea pigs have four toes on their front paws, while only three on their back paws. All fingers end in wide claws.

Mostly guinea pigs live on plant foods. When eating, they usually sit on their hind legs. In the wild, guinea pigs live in burrows and feed at dusk or on cloudy days. When there is enough vegetation around, guinea pigs can go without water for a long time. In captivity, they can eat the same as domestic rabbits and rats, but in this case they need water.

Guinea pigs can have two or three litters a year, with two to three babies each. A few hours after birth, guinea pig cubs can run. Guinea pigs are very easy to care for and live up to 8 years at home. Pet stores usually stock a variety of guinea pigs in all sorts of colors and coat lengths.

Author: Likum A.

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

What is a radio telescope?

When we look through a telescope at the stars and planets, we see the light waves they emit. Light is a form of radiation. But the stars send to the Earth not only light waves, but also others. Part of the radiation of stars exists in the form of radio waves. Some of these waves can be picked up by special radio receivers here on Earth.

Radio receivers capture and amplify radio waves in the same way that an ordinary telescope captures and amplifies light waves. A radio receiver designed to pick up radio waves coming from stars is called a radio telescope.

There are many types of radio telescopes, but they all consist of two main parts: an antenna and a radio receiver. The antenna is usually a huge, imposing-looking metal saucer. It can be mounted on a movable base or elevated so that it can be deployed to any side of the sky.

When people think of radio telescopes, they usually think of just such a huge metal saucer-antenna. But the radio receiver is no less important part of it. Without a receiver, this huge antenna would mean absolutely nothing.

In order to amplify the incoming waves, a special radio receiver is required, as the waves can be very weak. After the radio signals are amplified, they are fed into a loudspeaker, and astronomers can hear the hiss coming from it. However, they not only hear the signals, but also see them written down on paper. Signals are recorded on paper tape in the form of a wavy line.

Radio telescopes work in any weather, since neither fog, nor rain, nor any other bad weather can affect the radio waves. They can also be built in any place convenient for us, and it is not at all necessary to install them, like ordinary optical telescopes, on a mountain or other elevated place. With the help of radio telescopes, scientists can obtain information about the Universe that you would not know about in any other way.

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Stonehenge to be closed for renovations 16.09.2021

Stonehenge, built around 3500-1100 BC, needs restoration - cracks and holes appeared in its stones. The building will be renovated for the first time in 60 years.

The Stonehenge megalithic complex in Wiltshire will be closed to visitors for two weeks - during which time all work is planned to be completed. Restorers will reinforce the upper lintel stones and replace the mortar that holds them together. The last time the restoration was carried out in 1958.

“The uniqueness of Stonehenge is in its lintel stones lying on top of vertical pillars, and in a special fastening system that holds them in place, but four and a half thousand years of rain and wind still led to the appearance of cracks,” says project curator Heather Siberia.

During laser scanning, which helps to determine the condition of the ancient monument, erosion was revealed. Not only stones were deformed, but also concrete, which strengthened some of them. The concrete will now be replaced with a more breathable lime mortar.

To mark the start of the work, the English Heritage Foundation invited Richard Woodman-Bailey, a man who in 1958 placed a coin under one of the pillars as a keepsake as an eight-year-old boy.

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