Fun Facts About The Chinchilla

The chinchilla is a species of rodents that reside in the northern Chilean mountain range of the Andes. Chinchillas are prized for their fur, something which almost lead to the extinction of the species.

The species first popped up some 41 million years ago and the ancestors of the chinchilla were the first rodents to inhabit South America. The fur of the species became popular in the 18th century and by the 20th century the species had been nearly hunted to extinction. By 1900 most South American countries banned the practice of hunting wild chinchilla.

Physical characteristics

The chinchilla is closely related to porcupines and guinea pigs. This means they have long muscular hind legs and short forelimbs. Chinchillas look like rabbits though their ears are rounder and much shorter. They have bushy tails and large black eyes with four toes on each foot.

Chinchillas measure between 9 to 15 inches long though their tail can add a further 3 to 6 inches to their length. The average weight of a chinchilla ranges from between 1.1 to 1.8 pounds.

Habitat

There is a reason chinchillas have a thick coat of fur. They usually reside at altitude of between 9,800 to 16,400 feet in the Andes. At those kind of heights it goes without saying that it can get very cold. Whilst the Chinchilla can survive freezing temperatures they are not able to survive at temperatures higher than 27 C.; high temperatures and humidity can cause these rodents to suffer from heat stroke.

The chinchilla is both nocturnal and crepuscular and this means they are at their most active during dusk or dawn and sleep throughout the day. Their homes are usually constructed by nestling in rock crevasses or burrowing down in underground tunnels. They are a very social species and a colony of chinchillas can number in the hundreds.

Female tend to be aggressive towards one another and can be aggressive towards males when they are ready to mate so it comes as no surprise they are the dominant gender. The female chinchilla for the most is monogamous whilst males tend to have a number of female mates.

Offspring

Chinchillas breed between November to May in the Northern Hemisphere whilst in the Southern Hemisphere the breeding season is between May to November.

The gestation period lasts for about 111 days and the female tends to have babies twice a year and give birth to litters of between one to six babies. The babies are called kits and a new born kit is born with its eyes open and with fur. The nursing period is between six to eight weeks and by the time they reach eight months old the chinchilla is sexually mature and able to reproduce. The lifespan of a chinchilla is between 8 to 10 years, though they have been known to live as long as 20 years.

Diet

The chinchilla is omnivorous which means they eat both meat and plants. Their diet mainly consists of seeds and grass but they also eat birds eggs and insect when they have the chance. When they eat, the food is held between their front paws and nibbled on.