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Chinchilla


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Chinchilla
Chinchilla
Chinchilla
Chinchilla
Chinchilla
Chinchillas are medium sized rodents native to the Andes mountains in South America. Chinchillas are named after the tribe that hunted the chinchillas for their dense fur, the Chinchas. A chinchilla is therefore a fairly rare animal in its natural habitat today.

Chinchillas feed on nuts, seeds and berries. They can defend themselves by spraying urine and releasing their fur when they are under attack.

In more recent years people are beginning to keep chinchillas as pets. Chinchilla domestication occurred in the 1920s when an engineer in Chile took a group of chinchillas to California. Since then chinchillas are bred as pets and sold all around the world. When handling chinchillas, it is important to not pick them up from underneath like a rat or hamster, because they have a feature called "floating ribs". Their ribs are not fully attached to their spine and if pressure is applied upwards, the ribs could puncture vital organs and kill the chinchilla. Pet chinchillas require frequent attention as well as a supply of dust for "dust baths".

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Chinchilla Translations

Catalan Català
Chinchilla lanigera
 
German Deutsch
Langschwanz-Chinchilla
 
English English
Long-tailed Chinchilla
 
Spanish Español
Chinchilla lanigera
 
Finnish Suomi
Chinchilla
 
French Français
Chinchilla lanigera
 
Hungarian Magyar
Csincsilla
 
Italian Italiano
Chinchilla lanigera
 
Dutch Nederlands
Chinchilla
 
Polish Polski
Szynszyla mała
 

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Chinchilla Facts

Kingdom:
A level of classifying all living things on earth, as similar species are broken into 5 groups including plants, animals and fungi....
Animalia
Phylum:
A level of classifying animals within the animal kingdom. Phylum are further divided into subgroups called classes....
Chordata
Class:
A level of classifying animals in a phylum. Classes are then sub-divided into further groups known as orders....
Mammalia
Order:
A level used to classify animals. Classes are broken into sub-groups known as order, which are broken down further into families....
Rodentia
Family:
A level of classifying animals within an order. Orders are broken down in families and families are broken down further into smaller groups called genus....
Chinchillidae
Genus:
A level of classifying animals within a family. Families are divided into sub-groups called genus which generally contain one or two animal species....
Chinchilla
Scientific Name:Chinchilla Lanigera
Type:Mammal
Diet:Herbivore
Size (L):25cm - 35cm (10in - 14in)
Weight:400g - 500g (14oz - 18oz)
Top Speed:24km/h (15mph)
Life Span:10 - 18 years
Lifestyle:Solitary
Conservation Status:
The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing the conservation s...
Endangered
Colour:Beige, Brown, Grey
Skin Type:Fur
Favourite Food:Fruit
Habitat:
The term habitat is used to describe a specific area where a particular animal lives, within an environment. Many animals have adapted to requiring specific conditions which can only be found in their natural habitat su...
Dry and mountainous regions
Average Litter Size:3
Main Prey:
When an animal is referred to prey, it means that the animal is either hunted or caught for food. Animals that are referred to as prey are generally hunted by bigger animals, although there are a number of exceptions....
Fruit, Nuts, Seeds
Predators:
When an animal is referred to as a predator, it means that the animal either hunts or catches other animals. Predatory animals are generally dominant within their environment and will generally hunt animals smaller than...
Owls, Fox, Cougars
Distinctive Features:Dense fur and long back legs

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HamsterHamster
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MouseMouse
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RabbitRabbit
There are more than 50 different species!
RatRat
Omnivores that eat anything!
GopherGopher
They dig large networks of tunnels!
CapybaraCapybara
The largest rodent in the world!

 

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