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 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

• Terrestrial

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

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 )

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.

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 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 ; acoustic

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 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 birth mass: 37 g.

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); 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)

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.