Cuy as Big as a Bull in South America?

While reading the New York Times on my lunch break today, I came across the following Associated Press article. It really made me think twice about my decision in Peru to partake in a lunch of cuy, or to us here in North America, the rodent and pet better known as a guinea pig. Imagine a guinea pig so large that it weighed between 1,700 and 3,000 pounds. That could feed an entire Inca army! I remember while we were on the bus on the way to Ollaytantambo there was a mother with her son standing in a doorway. She had a large woven bag draped over her shoulder that appeared to be moving and in her hands she held up two of the largest guinea pigs I had ever seen. They most likely weighed between 9 and 12 pounds. If you are interested in the pre-historic version of cuy, please take a look at the article below by clicking on the title.

Long Ago, a Rodent as Big as a Bull Lurked in South America