Sitemaps

Why are geni pigs called that i maen there not italin and ther not pork either why are they called t2007-11-24 22:19:11

How the animals came to be thought of as "pigs" is not clear. They are built somewhat like a pig, with a large head relative to the body, a stout neck, and a rounded rump with no tail of any consequence; some of the sounds they emit are very similar to those made by pigs, and they also spend a large amount of time eating.[19] They can survive for long periods of time in small quarters, like a 'pig pen', and were thus easily transported on ships to Europe.[20]

The animal's name carries porcine connotations in many European languages. The German word for them is Meerschweinchen, literally "little sea pigs". This derives from nautical history: sailing ships stopping to reprovision in the New World would pick up stores of guinea pigs, which provided an easily transportable source of fresh meat; Meerschwein is German for porpoise, which was another food source for sailors. The French term is Cochon d'Inde (Indian pig); the Dutch used to call it guinees biggetje (Guinean piglet), and in Portuguese the guinea pig is sometimes referred to as porquinho da 脥ndia (little Indian pig). This is not universal; for example, the common Spanish word is conejillo de Indias (little rabbit of India / the Indies).[17]

The origin of "guinea" in "guinea pig" is even harder to explain. One theory is that the animals were brought to Europe by way of Guinea, leading people to think they had originated there.[18] "Guinea" was also frequently used in English to refer generally to any far-off, unknown country, and so the name may simply be a colorful reference to the animal's foreignness.[21] Another theory suggests the "guinea" in the name is a corruption of "Guiana", an area in South America, though the animals are not native to that region.[21][22] A common misconception is that they were so named because they were sold for the price of a guinea coin; this theory is untenable, because the guinea was first struck in England in 1663, and William Harvey used the term "Ginny-pig" as early as 1653.[23] Others believe "guinea" may be an alteration of the word coney; guinea pigs were referred to as "pig coneys" in Edward Topsell's 1607 treatise on quadrupeds.[18]"

---

They're also not called "geni" pigs; it's "Guinea" pigs. They're a staple food source for some peoples, and their name derives from the languages of those peoples.

---

Nobody knows! But according to Wikipedia;