Wild cuys

As I was skyping with my friend Sara earlier tonight, she raised some very puzzling questions: are there wild cuys (guinea pigs)? If so, where do they live? Do they look the same as the domestic versions? All these are queries that you'd think I'd know the answers to, having spent the past 12 months in such close proximity to these portly fur-balls. But I was stumped! It was clear that answers needed to be found, so I did some serious research (I googled it). Here's some things I learned:

1. Wild cuys do exist.
2. They live in the mountains and grasslands of South America (maybe if they were native to the U.S. you all wouldn't think I was so weird for eating them).
3. Unlike their domestic counterparts, who have the luxury of cozy cages and daily feedings of alfalfa, wild cuys live in burrows, shrubbery, or crevices with groups of 5-10 relatives and eat the local vegetation.
4. They were originally domesticated prior to the arrival of the Spanish in the 1500's.
5. The origin of the name (and logic behind) "guinea pig" remains unknown; "cuy" is obviously a much more time-efficient and pleasant way of calling them.
6. Cuys are not at all related to pigs (duh).

Bonus fact: female guinea pigs are called "bears." Double bonus: this does not translate into Spanish. Bummer.