and why they're awesome
Chinchillas are either of two species (Chinchilla chinchilla
and Chinchilla lanigera) of crepuscular rodents of the
parvorder Caviomorpha. They are slightly larger and more robust than
ground squirrels, and are native to the Andes mountains in South
America. They live in colonies called "herds" at high elevations of up
to 4,270 m (14,000 ft). Historically, chinchillas lived in an area that
included parts of Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, and Chile, but today,
colonies in the wild are known only in Chile. Along with their
relatives, viscachas, they make up the family Chinchillidae. They are
also related to the chinchilla rat.
The chinchilla has the
densest fur of all mammals that live on land. In the water, the
sea otter has a denser coat. The chinchilla is named after the Chincha
people of the Andes, who once wore its dense, velvet-like fur. By the
end of the 19th century, chinchillas had become quite rare after being
hunted for their ultra-soft fur. Most chinchillas currently used by the
fur industry for clothing and other accessories are farm-raised.
Domestic chinchillas descended from C. lanigera are sometimes
kept as pets, and may be considered a type of pocket pet.
Want to learn more about your future furbaby?
Read about them on Wikipedia!