Montane guinea pig

The montane guinea pig ("Cavia tschudii") is a species of caviid rodent found in the Andes in South America. The montane guinea pig is the likely ancestor of "Cavia porcellus", the domestic cavy or domestic guinea pig.
Taxonomy.
Peruvian wild guinea pigs were first described by E. T. Bennett in 1835, who termed them "Cavia cutleri". Johann Jakob von Tschudi, in an 1845 publication, used the term "Cavia cutleri" to refer to what are now considered two separate entities - the first, Bennett's "Cavia cutleri", which was later (by Oldfield Thomas in 1917) identified as probably a differently pigmented version of "Cavia porcellus", and the second, a wild Peruvian guinea pig that was clearly different from the animal Bennett described. In 1867, Leopold Fitzinger renamed the latter guinea pig "Cavia tschudii".
Description.
The montane guinea pig is a medium-sized species, growing to a total length of . The colour varies in different parts of the range; in Peru, the dorsal fur is dark reddish-brown mixed with black, and the underparts are dark buffy-grey; in Chile, the dorsal surface is pale agouti brown with paler underparts; in Bolivia, the upper parts are agouti olive and the underparts creamy-white or white.
Distribution and habitat.
The montane guinea pig is native to the high Andes in South America. Its range extends from Peru southward to the Tarapacá Region of Chile and the Tucumán Province of Argentina. Its altitudinal range is above sea level. It lives in moist habitats with rocks and coarse vegetation, making runways through the foliage. In Argentina it lives in burrows with several entrances.
Lifecycle.
The montane guinea pig has a gestation period around 63 days. Litter size ranges from one to four, and the young grow quickly, becoming mature at two months of age.