Two species of crepuscular rodents from the high Andes, living in colonies up to 4,270 m. They have the densest fur of any land mammal, which nearly wiped them out: wild colonies are now known only in Chile.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?No, herbivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Night
Mainly nocturnal, with peaks of activity at dusk and dawn.
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?Sometimes
Domestic chinchillas, bred from the long-tailed chinchilla, are kept as pets, and most fur now comes from farms.
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inSouth America
HabitatMountains, Scrub
ColoursGrey, White, Black
SizeSmall
Weight0.5–0.8 kg
Legs4
Covered inFur
Lives incolonies
Lives for10–20 years
In the wild
- Where it lives
- The Andes; wild colonies are now known only in Chile.
- Conservation
- Endangered (IUCN Red List)
Did you know
The densest fur of any land mammal, about 20,000 hairs per square centimetre.
Each follicle grows about 50 hairs, around 20,000 hairs per square centimetre.
Often confused with
On these lists
Sources
Play
Could you have guessed it?
A photo, a few hints, one guess. Same 438 animals.
