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Chinchilla

From Tilcayo Cats, the lean encyclopaedia by Tilcayo Knowledge Systems
Tilcayo Cats original · British Bees · Sources and editorial assessment · Originals retention rule

Chinchillas (genus Chinchilla) are rodents of the Andes of South America, known for their very soft, dense fur.[1] Hunting for that fur has nearly wiped them out in the wild.[2]

Classification

Chinchillas belong to the family Chinchillidae, together with the mountain viscachas and the plains viscacha. The family has three genera and seven species.[3] The number of chinchilla species has been disputed. Osgood in 1943 recognised one species with three subspecies, while later authors list two: the short-tailed chinchilla (C. chinchilla) and the long-tailed chinchilla (C. lanigera).[4] The long-tailed chinchilla is the smaller of the two, less than 260 mm from head to rump, with a tail longer than 130 mm. The short-tailed chinchilla is more than 320 mm long, with a tail shorter than 100 mm.[5]

Description

Chinchillas are grey to bluish-black above and yellowish white below, with a brush-like tail.[2] They have long, narrow hind feet. On the forefeet the thumb is reduced to a small clawless bump. The bony chambers of the ear are greatly enlarged.[4] In the long-tailed chinchilla, females are larger than males. Wild males average 412 g and females 422 g, while domestic animals reach 600 to 800 g.[6]

Behaviour

Chinchillas and viscachas live in social groups of up to several hundred animals.[7] Colonies of long-tailed chinchillas of more than 100 animals are known.[1] Chinchillas have been compared ecologically to ground squirrels.[7] Captive long-tailed chinchillas make several distinct calls, including an "eek eek" when frightened and a warning "snarl growl".[8]

Decline

The short-tailed chinchilla was once abundant in Peru and Bolivia but was wiped out there by hunting for fur and meat. It has been described as critically endangered in Argentina and at risk of extinction in Chile, and in 2002 Pacheco considered it extinct in the wild in Peru, although one specimen had been taken there in 1984.[9] The long-tailed chinchilla once lived along coastal Chile between 26° and 35° S. Only two natural populations remain, between 29° and 31° S in the Coquimbo region.[6] Chinchillas have been hunted for their fur since the early 1900s, and around 1900 about 500,000 skins were exported from Chile each year.[1] The IUCN Red List assesses both species as Endangered: the long-tailed chinchilla in 2025 and the short-tailed chinchilla in 2016.[10][11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Hendricks, C. (2002). "Chinchilla lanigera". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Patton, James L.; Pardiñas, Ulyses F. J.; D'Elía, Guillermo, eds. (2015). Mammals of South America. Vol. 2: Rodents. University of Chicago Press. p. 762. ISBN 9780226169606.
  3. ↑ Ebensperger, Luis A.; Hayes, Loren D., eds. (2016). Sociobiology of Caviomorph Rodents: An Integrative Approach. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 6. ISBN 9781118846520.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Patton, James L.; Pardiñas, Ulyses F. J.; D'Elía, Guillermo, eds. (2015). Mammals of South America. Vol. 2: Rodents. University of Chicago Press. p. 764. ISBN 9780226169606.
  5. ↑ Patton, James L.; Pardiñas, Ulyses F. J.; D'Elía, Guillermo, eds. (2015). Mammals of South America. Vol. 2: Rodents. University of Chicago Press. p. 766. ISBN 9780226169606.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Patton, James L.; Pardiñas, Ulyses F. J.; D'Elía, Guillermo, eds. (2015). Mammals of South America. Vol. 2: Rodents. University of Chicago Press. p. 769. ISBN 9780226169606.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Ebensperger, Luis A.; Hayes, Loren D., eds. (2016). Sociobiology of Caviomorph Rodents: An Integrative Approach. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 8. ISBN 9781118846520.
  8. ↑ Ebensperger, Luis A.; Hayes, Loren D., eds. (2016). Sociobiology of Caviomorph Rodents: An Integrative Approach. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 160. ISBN 9781118846520.
  9. ↑ Patton, James L.; Pardiñas, Ulyses F. J.; D'Elía, Guillermo, eds. (2015). Mammals of South America. Vol. 2: Rodents. University of Chicago Press. p. 767. ISBN 9780226169606.
  10. ↑ Jiménez, J.; Deane, A.; Salazar-Bravo, J.; Hurtado Materon, M.A. (2025). "Chinchilla laniger". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-2.RLTS.T4652A271314552.en. Retrieved 2 November 2026.
  11. ↑ Roach, N.; Kennerley, R. (2016). "Chinchilla chinchilla". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T4651A22191157.en. Retrieved 2 November 2026.
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