Chinchilla Chinchillas Chinchillidae crepuscular rodent rodents South America habitat nature wildlife wild animal fur coat
This Illustration is from The Welcome a magazine for the home circle, Volume XIII 1886. Chinchillas are crepuscular rodents, slightly larger and more robust than ground squirrels, and are native to the Andes mountains in South America. They live in colonies at high altitudes (up to 15,000 ft/4,270 m) in the Andes of Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. Along with their relatives, viscachas, they make up the family Chinchillidae. The animal (whose name literally means "little Chincha") is named after the Chincha people of the Andes, who once wore its dense, velvet-like fur. By the end of the 19th century, chinchillas had become quite rare due to hunting for their fur. Most chinchillas currently used by the fur industry for clothing and other accessories are farm-raised. There are two living species of chinchilla, Chinchilla chinchilla (formerly known as Chinchilla brevicaudata) and Chinchilla lanigera. There is little noticeable difference between the species except that the Chinchilla chinchilla has a shorter tail, a thicker neck and shoulders, and shorter ears. This species is currently facing extinction. The Chinchilla lanigera species, though rare, can be found in the wild. Domestic chinchillas are thought to come from the lanigera species.
Size: 4125px × 2743px
Photo credit: © SOTK2011 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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