Guinea Pig

Recently we had the opportunity to babysit our neighbor's guinea pig named Shadow.


He was a little shy at first, but once he got used to us, he let us hold him and pat him behind his ears.


It's hard to believe he's related to the extinct 1500-pound giant rodent that I painted called Josephoartigasia, a rodent the size of a rhinoceros.
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Previously: Visualizing a Mega Rodent

Guinea pigs were exotic pets in the Renaissance, brought back by conquistadors.