short-tailed chinchilla

The short-tailed chinchilla (Chinchilla brevicaudata) is a species of rodent native to the Andes Mountains of South America. These medium-sized rodents are highly valued for their exceptionally soft and dense fur, which is typically bluish to brownish-gray with lighter underparts.1

Chinchillas are colonial animals that inhabit arid, rocky environments. They are primarily nocturnal, emerging in the evening to feed on vegetation, though they may forage during daylight on overcast days. They typically live in crevices among rocks and emerge from their shelters to forage.1

Chinchillas, along with viscachas, belong to the family Chinchillidae within the order Rodentia. Both species of chinchilla are legally protected due to past overhunting, which nearly drove them to extinction. Today, they are raised commercially for their fur and also kept as pets, with all captive populations descending from a small group brought to the United States in 1927.12