What are Chinchillas?

What are Chinchillas?

Regularly, when pets are mentioned, the first thoughts to come to mind are: dogs, cats, fish, rabbits, or even hamsters. Chinchillas are rarely mentioned unless the person you’re conversing with is a caretaker or owner of such an exotic pet.

Now, what are chinchillas exactly? According to common chinchilla care guides on the Net, they are actually part of a breed of rodents that are mostly active during twilight hours, not during the night as some are prone to mistake. Slightly of the same size as baby rabbits with relative likeness to hamsters, they are native to mountains of Andes in South America. In their natural habitat, they are said to live in burrows and dark crevices where they stay in during day-time. As they are smaller than other animals, they are considered prey by many; however chinchillas are not exactly defenseless. They use defense tactics that include spraying urine on their enemies and releasing their fur when they are bitten thus allowing them escape.

There are two known species of chinchilla: the Chinchilla Brevicaudata and the Chinchilla Lanigera. A noticeable difference between these two is that Brevicaudata has a shorter tail, a bulkier neck and body, and shorter ears. They are more commonly known as the Short-tailed Chinchilla and the Long-tailed Chinchilla respectively. The short-tailed chinchilla resemble hamsters more than their counterpart, the Lanigera which looks more like a branch out of cute rats. These animals are actually facing extinction as they are hunted for their soft and dense fur, especially the Brevicaudata. Most domesticated chinchilla are said to be from the Lanigera species, which compared to the Brevicaudata can still be found in the wild.