Short-tailed chinchilla

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Short-tailed chinchilla
Short-tailed chinchilla

Short-tailed chinchilla

Systematics
Subordination : Porcupine relatives (Hystricomorpha)
Partial order : Hystricognathi
without rank: Guinea Pig Relatives (Caviomorpha)
Family : Chinchillas (Chinchillidae)
Genre : Real chinchillas ( chinchilla )
Type : Short-tailed chinchilla
Scientific name
Chinchilla chinchilla
( Lichtenstein , 1829)

The short-tailed chinchilla ( Chinchilla chinchilla ) is a rodent from the chinchillas family (Chinchillidae). It is critically endangered in the wild.

features

Short-tailed chinchillas reach a head body length of 30 to 38 centimeters and a tail length of up to 15 centimeters. The weight varies between 500 and 800 grams, with the females being significantly heavier than the males. The silky fur is very dense and soft; it is colored blue-gray or brownish, usually each hair has a black tip. The bushy tail is covered with long, coarse hair on top. The head is broad, the ears are large, and the eyes are black. Both front and rear paws end in four toes with weak claws.

From the second species of the real chinchillas , the long-tailed chinchilla , they differ in the number of vertebrae (20 vertebrae compared to 24 vertebrae in the long-tailed chinchilla) as well as in the tail, which is about 4 centimeters shorter, the smaller ears and in wild animals larger dimensions.

distribution and habitat

The original range of the short-tailed chinchillas included southern Peru , western Bolivia , northwest Argentina and northern Chile . They live in the Andes , their habitat are rocky mountain regions at heights of 3000 to 5000 meters.

Way of life

Little is known about the way these animals live in the wild. They are active at twilight or at night, and crevices or other shelters serve as resting places. When foraging for food, they move forward quickly and skillfully. They are herbivores that eat all kinds of vegetation that can be found. When eating, they sit in an upright position and hold the food with their front paws.

Short-tailed chinchillas are sociable animals that used to live in large groups of up to 100 individuals. There is no evidence for the sometimes claimed monogamy of these animals.

Reproduction

The female can give birth up to three times a year, the gestation period is around 110 days and the litter size is one to six (usually two or three) pups. The newborns are born hairy and with their eyes open; they are weaned at six to eight weeks. Sexual maturity occurs at around eight months, in some cases even earlier (at 5.5 months). Life expectancy in the wild is around 10 years, but can be up to 20 years in human care.

Short-tailed chinchillas and humans

These animals were already hunted by the Inca for their valuable fur, and hunting began on a large and commercial scale in the 19th century. At the beginning of the 20th century, the stocks collapsed and the first protective regulations were issued. This led to an increase in prices and thus to the continuation of the now illegal hunting. Breeding attempts were later made in fur farms in South America and the USA, but were soon discontinued in favor of long-tailed chinchilla breeding.

In Germany the animals are allowed according to Animal Welfare Farm Animal Husbandry Ordinance to gain fur on fur farms . They are also found worldwide as pets.

In the wild, however, their status is worrying. The animals are protected throughout their range and hunting is ineffective and rarely carried out because of the rarity of the animals. However, the stocks have not recovered from years of persecution. It is unclear to what extent short-tailed chinchillas can still be found in remote, inaccessible regions of their range. The IUCN lists them as " critically endangered ".

literature

  • Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 ISBN 0801857899
  • Irmgard Ulbricht: Chinchilla species, attitude, points of criticism . In: Chinchilla-Post, Landbuch Verlag, issue 5/2002
  • Pablo Valladares F .; Ángel E. Spotorno; Arturo Cortes M .; Carlos Zuleta R .: Chinchilla chinchilla (Rodentia: Chinchillidae). Mammalian Species 50 (960), Aug. 20, 2018; Pp. 51-58. doi : 10.1093 / mspecies / sey007

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