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SCIENTIFIC NAME: Chinchilla lanigera
SPECIES: : lanigera
RANGE: Their range used to be throughout the entire Andes mountain range.
HABITAT: Chinchillas live in burrows and among the rocks in semi-arid mountainous habitats.
STATUS IN THE WILD: Extinct in the wild, only captive-bred animals exist. Chinchillas were exterminated in the wild due to the value of their fur in the European and American markets. The natives of South America always hunted chinchillas for blankets and clothing, but that never impacted the population. In the 18th Century chinchilla fur appeared in the markets and by the turn of the century 216,000 furs were exported in one year. In 1910, laws were made to protect chinchillas, but the profit to be made was so great that the laws were not followed or enforce. Today, chinchillas are bred on farms for fur and the pet trade. People have reintroduced chinchillas into the wild (Andes Mountains). Their success will depend on their natural abilities to regain survival skills and the government’s abilities to protect them.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Chinchillas are related to agoutis, guinea pigs and visachas. They have remarkably soft fur, which can be up to 1 ½ inches long. Chinchillas are about 10 inches long and have a squirrel-like tail. Females are slightly larger than the male. Their ears are almost hairless, their whiskers are very long and their eyes very large. Their small feet have claws on each of the four toes. They have two types of fur: “brush” and “bristle”. The brush fur is lighter than a feather and can have up to 60 individual hairs coming out of a single root. The bristle fur is stiffer and thicker and gives form to the overall coat. Each strand of hair on a chinchilla has 3 color bands: dark, then light, then dark. Chinchillas continually shed their fur and will completely replace it once a year.
LONGEVITY: Well cared for domesticated individuals can live in excess of 20 years but most live for about 15 years.
REPRODUCTION: Chinchillas are monogamous and the female is the dominant of the pair. Mating season is pre-winter and the babies are born in early spring. Courtship begins with the male or female pulling tufts of hair from the other’s body. The gestation period for chinchillas is 115 to 125 days. A litter usually consists of two to three young. The young chinchillas are born fully furred to reduce heat loss, but the mother must lick the babies clean so they can dry before they freeze. They can run around within a few hours, but spend most of their time nestled between their parents. The young will begin to eat solid food in about a week, but are not completely weaned until 7 or 8 weeks old. They become sexually mature in less than a year, which means they are able to breed in the mating season of their first year. A mature domestic female can have between 1-3 litters a year.
DIET/ NATURAL: They feed almost entirely on coarse grasses and some herbs. They get their water from dew and from the plants they eat.
DIET/ZOO: Alfa and chinchilla grain pellets.
MISCELLANEOUS: Chinchillas live communally. Before their numbers were decreased, up to 100 chinchillas could be found together. They are primarily nocturnal, but will bask in the evening and morning sun. Their diet is so poor that they spend almost all their time foraging and eating.
ECOLOGICAL ROLE: Chinchillas are food for the carnivores and they help with seed distribution. Humans use chinchillas for furs and pets.
FACT SHEET CREATED BY: Erin Rackovan DATE:9/7/2009
FACT SHEET EDITED BY: Ella Viola DATE: 9/12/2009