chinchilla

(plural: ‘chinchillas‘; pronunciation: the letters ‘ch’ — the first and second — rhyme with the letters ‘ch’ in “church”)

an animal – mammal – rodent – with a rabbit’s body, large ears and a long bushy squirrel’s tail; body covered with soft thick gray fur; grows to 10-14 inches long and weighs about 500 grams, female is bigger than the male; feeds on (eats) plants, fruits, seeds and small insects in the wild, and mostly on hay (grass) in the farms; lives in ready-made burrows or crevices (= small gaps or cracks) in the rocks; lives for 10-15 years in the wild; two living species native to the Andes mountain range, South America, but now farm-bred in many parts of the world

Three species (kinds): short-tailed chinchilla; long-tailed chinchilla and chinchilla costina.

male ~~ buck

female ~~ doe

baby ~~ kitten/kit

group ~~ herd; colony

voice (call) ~~ chirp, squeak, bark (only female – cluck)

home ~~ (in the wild) burrow (rock crevices); (man-made) cage

Special Features:

This animal is named after a tribe of people called ‘Chincha’ in the Andes of South America.

Chinchillas have the warmest fur (coat) in the world, and they are now bred worldwide for their fur, and also to be kept as pets.

They have been hunted almost to extinction for their pelts (= the skin with the fur/hair in place) since the Incas time. Because of the chinchilla’s small size, a hundred chinchillas’ pelts are needed to make a medium-sized jacket (coat)!

Chinchillas can jump up to 5 feet high.