The ancestors of the guinea pigs that you can visit on our animal farm are small South Americans. They were native there before Spanish sailors brought them across the sea to Europe. The Spanish associated their squeaking sounds with those of the domestic pigs they already knew. In fact, these cute herbivores that we like to keep as pets today are related to the world’s largest living rodent, the capybara. And like their bigger ancestor, guinea pigs are very social animals that enjoy living together in pairs or groups. Like rabbits, guinea pigs reproduce extremely rapidly. Guinea pigs are precocial animals. They are born well developed with fur, teeth and open eyes. They can see, hear and move around and feed on their own immediately after birth.