Long-tailed Chinchilla
Scientific name: Chinchilla lanigera
Habitat: barren, rocky slopes (Andes Mountains)
Diet: grass and seeds
Life span: 8-10 years (20 in captivity)
Young: 1-6 young
Size: 500 g (1 lb)
Chinchillas are primarily nocturnal rodents who live in groups of 14-100 animals.
Chinchilla fur is very dense with 60 hairs growing from each follicle. Most mammals, including people, have only one hair per follicle. This fur keeps them warm on the cold mountain slopes. To clean their fur, chinchillas roll in dust to absorb any oily dirt.
Learn more about this species:
These are some other websites that we think have more great information about this species.
Long-tailed chinchilla on Animal Diversity Web
For More Information
Edmonton Valley Zoo
13315 Buena Vista Road (87th Avenue)
PO Box 2359
Edmonton, Alberta T5J 2R7
| attractions@edmonton.ca |
Range
Range: mountains of northern Chile
Status in the Wild
Status: threatened
