Francisco Jorquera is a photographer/videographer working in the Patagonia of Argentina, where he observed a den of baby southern mountain cavies (known as “cuis chicos” in Spanish). They are too cute and very photogenic!
Cavies are from the family Caviidae, a family of rodents that includes guinea pigs and capybaras. The southern mountain cavy is a guinea pig species that lives in the South American arid and semiarid lowlands. They prefer ground near rivers and areas dominated by thorn bushes. Their range exists primarily in western and southern Argentina, but pockets are also found in Chile and Bolivia. Similar to the prairie dogs of the US, they form large colonies that dig underground burrows and collectively watch for predators (owls, hawks, foxes, grisons and skunks), sending out warning cries to the group if detected.
Their burrows can form extensive warrens. Some have been observed with over 25 exits and at least 130 feet long. Burrows can contain three or four to up to over three dozen individuals, with males vying for dominance to enforce the den’s social hierarchy. Females are more sociable, denning together in times of restricted shelter and even participating in cooperative nursing on occasion.
Southern mountain cavies eat leaves, fruit and other plant matter. They are capable of climbing trees, sometimes reaching as high as 13 feet, to get at foliage. They particularly like mesquite and caperbushes, but will eat nearly any plant matter when times are lean.
Their breeding season lasts from August to April. Gestation is approximately 54 days and litters contain one to five pups. Babies are weaned in about three weeks.
Source for today’s gif:
Wikipedia: Southern mountain cavy
Too cute!
I love them! Can I have them all? Okay, I won't be greedy just maybe 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 or... wait a minute I live with three cats. Never mind. Thanks, Martini, for the tremendous amount of squee!