Art experts think they have uncovered one of the first ever portraits of a pet guinea pig.

A 16th century oil painting shows the animal being cradled between three children. The animal had recently been introduced into Europe from South America by Spanish merchants.

The portrait, believed to have been painted around 1580, will form part of an exhibition, Elizabeth I And Her People, which opens at the National Portrait Gallery in central London in October.

Bouncing into record books

A group of British friends believe they have broken a world record after completing a 36-hour bouncy castle charity marathon.

The team, from Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, jumped up and down day and night, using a rota of 20-minute stints, at Weston’s Sand Bay. Guinness World Records rules stated that at least one member of the team had to be bouncing at any time.

They finished dizzy and sore, but hope they have beaten the previous team record of 27 hours, set in July last year.

Sweet gag is the funniest

A gag about a chocolate bar has been named the funniest joke of the Edinburgh fringe festival.

Rob Auton’s wisecrack was one of 20 shortlisted by a group of experts before it was put to the fans’ vote. The award, officially known as Dave’s Funniest Joke of The Fringe, has been going for six years.

The 30-year-old from York, who has been doing stand-up since 2008, won almost a quarter of the votes for his one-liner: “I heard a rumour Cadbury is bringing out an oriental chocolate bar. Could be a Chinese Wispa.”

Chevy dealer’s nest egg

A retired US car dealer is putting hundreds of vintage Chevrolets up for auction, including some that logged only a single mile.

Collectors from around the world will bid on about 500 cars and pick-ups owned by Ray Lambrecht in Nebraska.

The collection was amassed after Lambrecht opened up a dealership in 1946 and ran it for 50 years.

He held on to his unsold vehicles and trade-ins as a nest egg. Some still have the manufacturers’ plastic on the seats.

Boy killed over kite row

An Indian boy has been kicked to death by a gang in a row over kite-flying from the rooftops of Delhi.

Rajan Chand, 17, had apparently angered another boy by snapping the line on his kite. The next evening the boy and three others beat Rajan and his friend unconscious. Rajan was declared dead on arrival at hospital.