A rose by any other name ….

 

The photograph illustrates the sheer beauty of these creatures we call guinea pigs. The clarity of the eyes, black as deep pools; the gentle curve of snout; the lovely ears (ugly on most mammals including humans) gently obscured by cashmere-like fur; the toe peeping demurely from beneath a skirt of that same fur like some Edwardian debutante at a formal ball; and the overall adorableness that nevertheless holds a slight air of vulnerability. It's no wonder children love these animals. 

Perhaps the name 'guinea pig' does the species a disservice. It has overtones of a cheap sow. A guinea  was a unit of currency worth about two dollars - and a pig is a pig.

They should be called something else. But what? Savannah Sylphs? Glade-dwelling Ground Squirrels? Short-Eared Fairy Rabbits? Little Lemmings? They certainly look like the latter. (And the cliff misconception is an urban myth.) 

The ‘loveable lemming’ or 'glade-dwelling ground squirrel' shown above is, of course, Violet the summer guinea pig visitor.