Living in the Andes, at elevations of 3,000-12,000 feet, a chinchilla eats roots, grasses, grains, bark, fruits, bulbs, leaves, stalks, seeds and nuts. Predators include cougars, mountain lions and especially humans. Chinchillas live underground in burrows for safety and defend themselves by either running away or biting when cornered. When hiding in its home, the chinchilla may temporarily close the entrance. In fights between males and females, females usually win, because they are larger than the males. Chinchillas have 1-4 babies per litter and 1 to 3 litters per year. The babies are born with their eyes open and have lots of fur. They weigh around 1.25 ounces at birth. The female nurses the babies and the male forages food for her.
The chinchilla, found in the Andes Mountains of South America,
is part of the rodent family. A chinchilla's weight ranges from
1-1.5 pounds on the average. They can grow up to be 10 inches long
when fully mature. Although chinchillas are quite small, they can
jump 6 feet straight into the air.
Chinchillas have a thick coat of fur to keep them warm and
protect them against the cold of the Andes. The thick coat protects
the chinchilla from parasites and predators. A chinchilla's coat is
so thick that chinchillas almost never have fleas or lice, which makes
them popular as pets. Camouflage is used as a defense -- their fur
blends well with the blue-gray rocks of the mountain. A healthy
chinchilla's skin should be hard to see if you try to blow the fur
apart. The fur structure is unusual. Each hair has 70-80 fibers making
it very fine. Unfortunately, because of their beautiful coats, chinchillas
were hunted and killed. During the 18th century they were hunted almost
to extinction, until laws banned chinchilla hunting.
