Guinea pig

Guinea pigs were small Earth mammals often used by humans for scientific experimentation and as pets. Because of the former, the term "guinea pig" also came to mean any test subject and not specifically an actual member of the species. (TV: The Ark, The Happiness Patrol, The Crimson Horror)
When posing as the laboratory assistant of Dr Gavin Dexter in a medical research centre in Berkshire, Will Sullivan was tricked into believing that guinea pigs were being used to find a cure for the deadly Marburg virus. However, when he went into the secure treatment facility to inject these animals with the antidote, he discovered that the "guinea pigs" were in fact human test subjects. (AUDIO: Fatal Consequences)
Category:Earth mammals
Category:Jargon, slang and colloquialisms
Category:Species from the real world
Category:Domesticated animals