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Chinchilla

(Chinchilla lanigera)

 

Category: Mammals

 

 

The long-tailed or Chilean chinchilla are popular as pets and in the fur trade, but their wild counterparts are critically endangered due to illegal hunting and habitat destruction. They are native to the barren, arid, and rugged areas of the mountain chains connecting the coastal mountain ranges and the Andes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-tailed_chinchilla

http://eol.org/pages/326926/details

http://www.petsource.org/small-animal-species/5438-chinchilla.html

 

Data & Facts

Scientific Classification
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Class - Mammalia
Order - Rodentia
Family - Chinchillidae
Genus - Chinchilla
Species - Chinchilla lanigera, Chinchilla chinchilla

 
Did you know?
Interesting Animal Facts

Wake me in 9 months…

There may be times when you are so tired you feel as if you could sleep for several days - but of course that is not possible without dying from dehydration. However, some mammals have such fine control over their metabolisms, they are capable of nodding off for days or even months, in a state called hibernation. This helps an animal survive during cold periods when food is scarce. A prime example is the alpine marmot who can hibernate for up to 9 months of the year: gathering food and adding about 50% more body weight (primarily fat) as summer ends, the alpine marmot seals itself in a deep burrow, heart rate slowing to five beats per minute, breathing as little as once per minute - emerging (far lighter!) in May, when food is once again available!

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