Common yellow-toothed cavies communicate with vocalizations. They make different sounds that are associated with alarm signaling, aggression towards other individuals, or sexual encounters (Grzimek, 2004).
Communication Channels: acoustic
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Common yellow-toothed cavies are listed as a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List. They are considered common and there is no evidence of population declines.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Common yellow-toothed cavies can be considered agricultural pests where they occur near croplands because they will eat crops (Grzimek, 2004).
Negative Impacts: crop pest
Common yellow-toothed cavies are important members of native ecosystems, although no direct, positive impacts for humans have been documented.
It is unknown what types of roles common yellow-toothed cavies play in their ecosystem. They probably impact vegetation through their herbivory and are likely to serve as an important prey base for larger predators in their habitats.
Common yellow-toothed cavies are herbivores that eat grasses and other vegetation (Grzimek, 2004).
Plant Foods: leaves; seeds, grains, and nuts; flowers
Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore )
Galea musteloides, known as common yellow-toothed cavies or cui, are found in a large area of South America, including southern Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay and northeastern Chile. They can also be found in a wide altitude range, from 5,000 m in the Andes to the low Chaco in Paraguay and in low-lying damp areas (Redford et al., 1992).
Biogeographic Regions: neotropical (Native )
Common yellow-toothed cavies can be found in many different types of habitats, including savannahs, grasslands, scrubby habitats, croplands, and riparian areas (Keil et al., 1999).
Range elevation: 5,000 (high) m.
Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland
Other Habitat Features: agricultural ; riparian
It is unknown how long common yellow-toothed cavies can live in the wild. In captivity they can live up to 3.5 years.
Range lifespan
Status: captivity: 3.5 (high) days.
Common yellow-toothed cavies are similar in size to hamsters, weighing between 300 to 600 g as adults. They are tailless and have short legs with clawed digits. Dorsal surfaces range from light to dark brown streaked with black. Ventral surfaces are white and are sharply defined laterally.
Range mass: 300 to 600 g.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike
Little is known about predation on G. musteloides. However, as small rodents, they are often prey of larger, predatory mammals, reptiles, and birds (Ebensperger et al., 2006).
Common yellow-toothed cavies have a promiscuous mating system, were both males and females mate with multiple individuals. Females generally mate with two to four different males.
Mating System: polygynandrous (promiscuous)
Common yellow-toothed cavies mate throughout the year and can have up to seven litters a year depending on conditions. Each litter can have one to five young with the average litter containing two to three (Redford et al., 1992). The gestation time ranges from 52 to 54 days (Keil et al., 1999) and weaning takes 3 weeks. Females become sexually mature at 66 days after birth and males at 60 days (AnAge, 2009). In most litters there is evidence of multiple paternity, resulting from sperm competition among multiple male mates (Keil et al., 1999).
Breeding interval: Common yellow-toothed cavies can breed every 8 weeks under favorable environmental conditions.
Breeding season: Common yellow-toothed cavies can mate throughout the year.
Range number of offspring: 1 to 5.
Average number of offspring: 2.5.
Range gestation period: 52 to 54 days.
Average weaning age: 3 weeks.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 66 days.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 60 days.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; year-round breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous
Male common yellow-toothed cavies do not help to care for their young and may show aggression towards young (Adrian et al., 2005). Females are the sole providers of care for the young. Females often participate in communal suckling of their young, many believe that this happens because of the large number of young born at approximately the same time (Kunkele et al., 1995).
Parental Investment: precocial ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female)
The common yellow-toothed cavy (Galea musteloides) is a species of rodent in the family Caviidae, closely related to the domesticated guinea pig.[2] It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. Its karyotype has 2n = 68 and FN = 136.[2] G. musteloides is the most common and widely found member of Galea, and is present at elevations ranging from 20 to 5000 m above sea level.[1] It has yellow teeth.
A recent study reveals there are five subspecies of G. musteloides: boliviensis, demissa, leucoblephara, littoralis and musteloides. These are recognized on the basis of pelage coloration, size and shape of skull, auditory bullae size and tooth shape. The species is found within a range from southern Peru to central Argentina.[3] Evidence is mounting that the lowland form of G. musteloides is an independent species and should be called G. leucoblephara.[4] It is a “diurnal herbivore of squirrel size that lives in groups and occupies open habitat.”[5]
Female and male common yellow-toothed cavies average 37.6 g and 36.4 g at birth, respectively. G. musteloides reproduces for the first time at one to three months of age; the minimum age needed to reproduce is twenty-eight days. Gestation lasts fifty-three days and lactation for three weeks. Litter size averages 2.7.[6]
In Peru, Galea sometimes associates with tuco-tucos (Ctenomys). According to Sanborn and Pearson, Galea use tuco-tuco burrows and respond to tuco-tuco alarm calls.[6] G. musteloides is mostly found in moist areas such as stream edges and croplands.[3]
In captive groups G. musteloides establish a male and a female hierarchical order. The alpha males regularly guard receptive females, but to little effect. Usually other males also mate with the same female and in more than 80% of cases the resulting littermates have more than one father. At least in captivity the females are clearly promiscuous, always mating with several males in the group. In the wild G. musteloides is clearly territorial, and it remains unclear if a similar hierarchical social order exists, or if they live solitarily. Aggression between adult males happens regularly. Adult male G. musteloides never engage in parental activities and are aggressive to subadult males even if they are their own offspring and very young. However, males are not aggressive to females. Adult females lactate and nurse the offspring of other females during their first week of life. Nearly all offspring receive some milk from females other than their mother. However, own offspring is cared for preferentially and for longer than one week.[4][7]
As closely related Galea species show a range of mating systems from monogamy to promiscuity, comparative studies are possible in these groups. General trends have been identified: a) testis size increases relative to body size in promiscuous species and b) higher social tolerance in captive held groups is associated with greater promiscuity and higher testosterone levels in males. Testosterone levels and aggression levels in males are not correlated. In fact females avoid above average aggressive males.[8]
The common yellow-toothed cavy (Galea musteloides) is a species of rodent in the family Caviidae, closely related to the domesticated guinea pig. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. Its karyotype has 2n = 68 and FN = 136. G. musteloides is the most common and widely found member of Galea, and is present at elevations ranging from 20 to 5000 m above sea level. It has yellow teeth.
A recent study reveals there are five subspecies of G. musteloides: boliviensis, demissa, leucoblephara, littoralis and musteloides. These are recognized on the basis of pelage coloration, size and shape of skull, auditory bullae size and tooth shape. The species is found within a range from southern Peru to central Argentina. Evidence is mounting that the lowland form of G. musteloides is an independent species and should be called G. leucoblephara. It is a “diurnal herbivore of squirrel size that lives in groups and occupies open habitat.”
Female and male common yellow-toothed cavies average 37.6 g and 36.4 g at birth, respectively. G. musteloides reproduces for the first time at one to three months of age; the minimum age needed to reproduce is twenty-eight days. Gestation lasts fifty-three days and lactation for three weeks. Litter size averages 2.7.
In Peru, Galea sometimes associates with tuco-tucos (Ctenomys). According to Sanborn and Pearson, Galea use tuco-tuco burrows and respond to tuco-tuco alarm calls. G. musteloides is mostly found in moist areas such as stream edges and croplands.
In captive groups G. musteloides establish a male and a female hierarchical order. The alpha males regularly guard receptive females, but to little effect. Usually other males also mate with the same female and in more than 80% of cases the resulting littermates have more than one father. At least in captivity the females are clearly promiscuous, always mating with several males in the group. In the wild G. musteloides is clearly territorial, and it remains unclear if a similar hierarchical social order exists, or if they live solitarily. Aggression between adult males happens regularly. Adult male G. musteloides never engage in parental activities and are aggressive to subadult males even if they are their own offspring and very young. However, males are not aggressive to females. Adult females lactate and nurse the offspring of other females during their first week of life. Nearly all offspring receive some milk from females other than their mother. However, own offspring is cared for preferentially and for longer than one week.
As closely related Galea species show a range of mating systems from monogamy to promiscuity, comparative studies are possible in these groups. General trends have been identified: a) testis size increases relative to body size in promiscuous species and b) higher social tolerance in captive held groups is associated with greater promiscuity and higher testosterone levels in males. Testosterone levels and aggression levels in males are not correlated. In fact females avoid above average aggressive males.
