When you picture a guinea pig, you likely think about their chubby bodies, their adorable noses, and their thick, lustrous coats.

Now, try to imagine a guinea pig that has all of that — but not the thick, lustrous coat.

Congratulations, you’ve just pictured a Skinny Pig, which is what many people call hairless guinea pigs. These are just like regular guinea pigs, except they have very little hair (and sometimes, none at all. 

There’s very little that makes Skinny Pigs different from regular guinea pigs. They need most of the same care, including the same diet and lifestyle needs.

It’s believed that these hairless pigs resulted from a spontaneous genetic mutation in 1978, but by the early 1980s, they were being bred specifically for their hairlessness.