Species group · Mammals

Chinchillas

WAnimals has 2 species of chinchilla, in the family Chinchillidae.

2 species

1 family

7 countries

5 parks

Ranges calculated from the profiles that record the figure, not from all 2.

All 2 species of chinchillas on WAnimals

Each one has its own full profile. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.

Short-tailed Chinchilla

Chinchilla chinchilla

Long-tailed Chinchilla

Chinchilla lanigera

2 Endangered

2 species in this group are in a threatened category according to the IUCN.

Recorded in 7 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:

It has the densest fur of any land mammal: over 50 hairs to a follicle.
From Short-tailed Chinchilla
It lives in colonies on high rocky ground in the Andes, and was hunted almost to extinction in the wild for its dense fur.
From Short-tailed Chinchilla
It has the densest fur of any land mammal: dozens of hairs sprout from each follicle, which is why it cannot get wet without risking fungal infections, so it bathes in volcanic dust.
From Short-tailed Chinchilla
It has the densest fur of any land mammal, with as many as 60 hairs to a follicle.
From Long-tailed Chinchilla
Its placenta is remarkably like a human's, which is why it is used as a model for studying pregnancy.
From Long-tailed Chinchilla
It was hunted intensively for the fur trade, which left it endangered.
From Long-tailed Chinchilla