Chinchillidae
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Chinchillidae
The family Chinchillidae is in the order Rodentia and consists of the chinchillas, the viscachas, and their fossil relatives. This family is restricted to southern and western South America, mostly living in mountainous regions of the Andes but one species living on plains. They are medium to large-sized rodents, weighing from to , with strong hind legs and large ears and a bushy tail. All species have thick, soft fur, which is considered valuable in some cultures. Characteristics Members of the family Chinchillidae are somewhat rabbit or squirrel-like rodents varying in weight from . They have large eyes, medium-sized ears, soft dense fur and short bushy tails. The forelegs are shorter than the hind legs. The forefeet have four toes while the hind feet have four small-clawed toes in ''Lagidium'' and ''Chinchilla'' but three large-clawed toes in '' Lagostomus'', a digging species. Their dental formula is and their incisors grow continually throughout their lives. Chinchillids a ...
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Chinchillidae
The family Chinchillidae is in the order Rodentia and consists of the chinchillas, the viscachas, and their fossil relatives. This family is restricted to southern and western South America, mostly living in mountainous regions of the Andes but one species living on plains. They are medium to large-sized rodents, weighing from to , with strong hind legs and large ears and a bushy tail. All species have thick, soft fur, which is considered valuable in some cultures. Characteristics Members of the family Chinchillidae are somewhat rabbit or squirrel-like rodents varying in weight from . They have large eyes, medium-sized ears, soft dense fur and short bushy tails. The forelegs are shorter than the hind legs. The forefeet have four toes while the hind feet have four small-clawed toes in ''Lagidium'' and ''Chinchilla'' but three large-clawed toes in '' Lagostomus'', a digging species. Their dental formula is and their incisors grow continually throughout their lives. Chinchillids a ...
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Lagidium
''Lagidium'' is a genus of rodents in the family Chinchillidae. Taxonomy Prior to 2009, most authors considered there to be three species of mountain viscachas. However, taxonomy sometimes differs by authors (e.g. ''L. peruanum'' is included within ''L. viscacia'' according to Anderson 1997). Four species are currently recognised: * Northern viscacha (''L. peruanum'') * Southern viscacha (''L. viscacia'') * Wolffsohn's viscacha (''L. wolffsohni'') * Ecuadorean mountain viscacha (''L. ahuacaense'') Distribution and habitat Range The northern viscacha occurs in central and southern Peru and northern Chile. The distribution is shown to be the Andes mountains in Peru at elevations between 3,000 and 5,000 m. The southern viscacha occurs in southern Peru, southern and western Bolivia, northern Chile, and western Argentina. They occur between 2,500 and 5,100 m above sea level. Little is known about ''L. wolffsohni''. Habitat and ecology ''L. peruanum'' prefers dry, rocky, habitats ...
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Chinchillinae
The family Chinchillidae is in the order Rodentia and consists of the chinchillas, the viscachas, and their fossil relatives. This family is restricted to southern and western South America, mostly living in mountainous regions of the Andes but one species living on plains. They are medium to large-sized rodents, weighing from to , with strong hind legs and large ears and a bushy tail. All species have thick, soft fur, which is considered valuable in some cultures. Characteristics Members of the family Chinchillidae are somewhat rabbit or squirrel-like rodents varying in weight from . They have large eyes, medium-sized ears, soft dense fur and short bushy tails. The forelegs are shorter than the hind legs. The forefeet have four toes while the hind feet have four small-clawed toes in ''Lagidium'' and ''Chinchilla'' but three large-clawed toes in '' Lagostomus'', a digging species. Their dental formula is and their incisors grow continually throughout their lives. Chinchillids a ...
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Southern Viscacha
The southern viscacha (''Lagidium viscacia'') is a species of viscacha, a rodent in the family Chinchillidae found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. It is a colonial animal living in small groups in rocky mountain areas. It has long ears and hind legs and resembles a rabbit in appearance apart from its long, bushy tail, but is not a lagomorph. Description The southern viscacha has yellowish-grey upperparts, paler underparts, and a black-tipped, bushy tail. The body fur is long and soft, while that on the tail is coarse. The long, fur-covered ears have a white fringe and both the short front legs and longer hind legs have four digits on the feet. The soles of the feet have fleshy pads called "pallipes" and they can move about with agility over rocky surfaces. The weight of an adult southern viscacha is about . Distribution and habitat The southern viscacha is native to the mountainous parts of western Argentina, southern Peru, western and central Bolivia, and northern and ce ...
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Viscacha
Viscacha or vizcacha (, ) are rodents of two genera (''Lagidium'' and ''Lagostomus'') in the family Chinchillidae. They are native to South America and convergently resemble rabbits. The five extant species of viscacha are: *The plains viscacha (''Lagostomus maximus''), a resident of the Pampas of Argentina, is easily differentiated from other viscachas by black and gray mustache-like facial markings. This species lives colonially in warrens of 10 to over 100. It is very vocal and emits alarm calls. The plains viscacha can strip grassland used to graze livestock; this has caused ranchers to consider the rodent a pest species. *''Lagidium ahuacaense'' is a newly described species of mountain viscacha from the Ecuadorian Andes. *The northern viscacha (''Lagidium peruanum'') is native to the Peruvian Andes at elevations between the tree line and the snow line. It is dorsally gray or brown in color, with a bushy tail and long, furry ears. This species lives in large colonies separ ...
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Northern Viscacha
The northern viscacha (''Lagidium peruanum'') is a species of viscacha, a rodent in the family Chinchillidae. It is known from Peru and Chile, at elevations from 300 to 5000 m, and may also be present in Bolivia. Description The northern viscacha grows to a head and body length of some with a bushy tail nearly as long which can be curled in a coil. The adult weight is between . Its long ears are furry and its body fur is dense and soft, but the tail has coarser hairs. The dorsal (upper) surface ranges from dark grey at lower altitudes to brown at higher elevations. The ventral (under) surface is cream or pale grey and the tip of the tail is reddish-brown or black. Distribution and habitat The northern viscacha is native to central and southern Peru and northern Chile, and may also be present in the area around Lake Titicaca in Peru and Bolivia. Its altitude range extends from above sea level. It makes its home in crevices in the rock and is found in various habitats where s ...
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Short-tailed Chinchilla
The short-tailed chinchilla (''Chinchilla chinchilla)'' is a small rodent part of the Chinchillidae family and is classified as an endangered species by the IUCN. Originating in South America, the chinchilla is part of the genus ''Chinchilla'', which is separated into two species: the long-tailed chinchilla and the short-tailed chinchilla. Although the short-tailed chinchilla used to be found in Chile, Argentina, Peru, and Bolivia, the geographical distribution of the species has since shifted. Today, the species remains extant in the Andes mountains of northern Chile, but small populations have been found in southern Bolivia. The short-tailed chinchilla is characterized by its grayish-blue fur which is extremely dense and plush. The short-tailed chinchilla has a short furry tail, which distinguishes it from the long-tailed chinchilla. Compared to '' C. lanigera, C. chinchilla'' has smaller, more rounded ears and is slightly smaller in body size. Chinchillas have been exploited by h ...
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Eoviscaccia
''Eoviscaccia'' is an extinct genus of chinchillid rodent that lived during the Early Oligocene (Tinguirirican) to the Early Miocene (Colhuehuapian) in what is now South America. Fossils of this genus have been found in the Cerro Bandera, Chichinales, Fray Bentos, and Sarmiento Formations of Argentina, the Salla Formation of Bolivia, and the Abanico Formation of Chile. Taxonomy ''Eoviscaccia'' was first described by María Guiomar Vucetich in 1989 based on remains found in the Salla Formation of Bolivia and the Sarmiento Formation of Chubut Province, Argentina, with the proposed type species being ''Eoviscaccia boliviana''. Two other species, ''E. australis'' and ''E. frassinettii'', were both named in 1989 and 2012 respectively, with ''E. australis'' being found in Chubut, Entre Ríos, Neuquén, and Río Negro Provinces of Argentina, while ''E. frassinettii'' was found in the Abanico Formation of Chile. The following cladogram of the Caviomorpha Caviomorpha is the rode ...
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Lagostomus
''Lagostomus'' is a South American genus of rodents in the family Chinchillidae. It contains a single living species, the plains viscacha, and it is the only Holocene genus in the subfamily Lagostominae Lagostominae is a subfamily of the family Chinchillidae. It contains the genus ''Lagostomus ''Lagostomus'' is a South American genus of rodents in the family Chinchillidae. It contains a single living species, the plains viscacha, and it is .... References Chinchillidae Rodent genera Mammal genera with one living species Taxa named by Joshua Brookes Taxa named by Johann Rudolph Rengger Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Rodent-stub ...
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Lagostominae
Lagostominae is a subfamily of the family Chinchillidae. It contains the genus ''Lagostomus ''Lagostomus'' is a South American genus of rodents in the family Chinchillidae. It contains a single living species, the plains viscacha, and it is the only Holocene The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately ...'' and two extinct genera, ''Prolagostomus'' and ''Pliolagostomus''. References {{Taxonbar, from=Q20760319 Chinchillidae ...
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Rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are native to all major land masses except for New Zealand, Antarctica, and several oceanic islands, though they have subsequently been introduced to most of these land masses by human activity. Rodents are extremely diverse in their ecology and lifestyles and can be found in almost every terrestrial habitat, including human-made environments. Species can be arboreal, fossorial (burrowing), saltatorial/richochetal (leaping on their hind legs), or semiaquatic. However, all rodents share several morphological features, including having only a single upper and lower pair of ever-growing incisors. Well-known rodents include mice, rats, squirrels, prairie dogs, porcupines, beavers, guinea pigs, and hamsters. Rabbits, hares, and pikas, whose i ...
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Chinchilla
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 up to . 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 ind ...
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