A small South American rodent similar to a guinea pig, with a stocky body and short legs.
From Portuguese 'aperea,' derived from Tupi 'apéra,' an indigenous word for this animal. The term entered European languages through Portuguese colonizers in Brazil.
The aperea is practically a wild guinea pig—they're so similar that scientists initially thought they were the same species, but apereas are leaner and more agile in the forests of South America.
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