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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

Bats: The Only True-Flying Mammal

Bats, the only mammal capable of true flight, are not blind - their eyes are just fine, thank you very much. But instead of eyes, most bats rely on an incredibly fine-tuned sense of hearing when they fly and hunt. Using a technique called echolocation, they emit high-pitched calls (usually above the range of human hearing), using the echos that are reflected back to them as a means of navigation and locating objects. The ears, auditory cortex, and (in a few cases) even noses of some bats are extraordinarily specialized for echolocation; there are even bats that have adapted the frequency of their calls to frequencies above or below what their favorite prey can hear!

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