EndangeredShort-tailed Chinchilla
Chinchilla chinchilla
One of the 2 chinchillas on WAnimals
Mammals · Rodentia · Chinchillidae
Chinchilla lanigera
At very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future.
It has the densest fur of any land mammal, with as many as 60 hairs growing from each follicle, an adaptation to the extreme cold of the Andes.
Weight
369 g – 800 g
Size
22.5 cm – 38 cm
Life expectancy
10 years
Diet
Herbivore
Feeds mainly on plants.
Activity
Nocturnal
Active mainly at night.
Social structure
Herd
Lives in large groups as a strategy against predators.
Sighting difficulty
Hard
Sources consulted: Animal Diversity Web (Chinchilla lanigera); ScienceDirect Topics; Animalia.bio (Long-Tailed Chinchilla); Animal Diversity Web (Chinchillidae)
Best time: All year round in the coastal ranges of northern Chile, at dusk; the wild population is reduced to a few scattered nuclei.
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Long-tailed Chinchilla — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
The long-tailed chinchilla is classified as endangered. Organisations such as the IUCN, WWF and the Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programmes is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
Based on what we already know about long-tailed chinchilla.
Share an experience, a fun fact or a tip for seeing the long-tailed chinchilla.
Be the first to comment.
