Abstract:
Guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus)
are rodents that feed on grassy plants, buds
and sprouts, with cheek teeth having
specialised abrasive surfaces for plant
grinding. In analysing the prehension and
trituration ways of guinea pigs, many
differences concerning mandible
conformation, the positioning of cheek teeth
and the morphology of the masticatory
muscles compared to other rodents were
found. Masticatory muscles of guinea pigs
are predominant compared to the mimetic
muscles which are reduced. Compared to
other rodents, in guinea pigs, inside the
tendon thickness of the superficial part of the
masseter muscle there are two rounded
cartilaginous structures such as sesamoids.
The dorsal one is larger, measuring about 3–
4 mm in diameter having the role of
reducing pressure on the tendon when it
passes over the mandible ridge. The other is
ventrally placed, about 2–3 mm in size and
protects the tendon of the superficial part of
the masseter muscle when it passes over the
ventral tubercle of the mandible.
