Viscacha or vizcacha (, ) are rodents of two genera (''

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 wit ...

'' and ''

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 ...

'') in the family

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 ...

. 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 Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, is easily differentiated from other viscachas by black and gray mustache-like facial markings. This species lives colonially in

warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval A ...

s 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 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 visca ...

(''Lagidium peruanum'') is native to the

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

vian

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

at elevations between the

tree line The tree line is the edge of the habitat at which trees are capable of growing. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually cold temperatures, extreme snow ...

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 separated into individual family units, like an apartment complex. It eats a wide range of plant matter, settling for almost anything it can find growing in the harsh, rocky environment. *The

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 Colony (biology), colonial animal living in small groups in rocky mountain areas. I ...

(''Lagidium viscacia''), also called mountain viscacha, is similar to the northern viscacha, but its

pelage Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket ...

is more red in color. It lives in similar habitat in the Andes. * Wolffsohn's viscacha (''Lagidium wolffsohni'') is rarer than the other four species. File:Bolivian vizcacha.jpg, A southern viscacha in the Sur Lipez desert, Bolivia File:ViscachaSalarDeUyuni 20170503.jpg, Viscacha near Salar De Uyuni, 2017 File:Viscacha in the morning sun.jpg, A viscacha warms itself in the morning sun in the Andes mountains in Chile.

References

External links

* {{Cite EB1911 , last=Lydekker , first=Richard , authorlink=Richard Lydekker , wstitle=Viscacha , short=x Mammals of Argentina Mammals of Chile Chinchillidae Mammal common names