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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, except 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 (biology), 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 thei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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: * Lagidium ahuacaense, Ecuadorean mountain viscacha (''L. ahuacaense'') * Northern viscacha (''L. peruanum'') * Southern viscacha (''L. viscacia'') * Wolffsohn's viscacha (''L. wolffsohni'') 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 d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 The climatic snow line is the boundary between a snow-covered and snow-free surface. The actual snow line may ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plains Viscacha
The plains viscacha or plains vizcacha (''Lagostomus maximus'') is a species of viscacha, a rodent in the family Chinchillidae. It is the only living species within the genus '' Lagostomus''. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay. The plains viscacha is the largest species in its family. They construct elaborate burrows that house successive colonies for decades. The plains viscacha should not be confused with the plains viscacha rat. Appearance left, 200px The plains viscacha is a large rodent, weighing up to 9 kg. It has an average head and body length over 500 mm, with the tail usually a little less than 200 mm long. The dorsal pelage ranges from gray to brown, depending upon soil color, and the belly is whitish. Its head is bulky, and the face is black and white; males have distinctive black mustaches and stiff whiskers. Their fore feet have four toes, and the hind feet have three toes. Soft dense fur covers its body, from the tips of its ears to t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 geologic time scale, geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago. It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene to ... genus in the subfamily Lagostominae. It probably only has one extant species; the taxa ''Lagostomus crassus'' is probably not valid. References Chinchillidae Rodent genera Mammal genera with one living species Taxa named by Joshua Brookes Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Rodent-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinchilla
Chinchilla refers to either of two species ('' Chinchilla chinchilla'' and '' Chinchilla lanigera'') of crepuscular rodents of the parvorder Caviomorpha, 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 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 extant terrestrial mammals, with around 20,000 hairs per square centimeter and 50 hairs growing from each follicle. The chinchilla is named after the Chincha people of the Andes, who once wore its dense, velvet-like fur and ate their meat. By the end of the 19th century, chinchillas had become quite rare after being hunted for their notably soft fur. Most chinchillas currently used by the fur ind ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Incamys
''Incamys'' is an extinct genus of chinchillid rodent that lived during the Late Oligocene (Deseadan) in what is now South America. Fossils of this genus have been found in the Salla Formation of Bolivia and the Agua de la Piedra and Sarmiento Formations of Argentina. Research on endocasts suggest they were group living using call communication like modern chinchillas. Taxonomy ''Incamys'' was first described by Hoffstetter and Lavocat, based on remains found in the Salla Formation of Bolivia, with the proposed type species being ''Incamys bolivianus'', referring to the country it was found in. Later, in 1976, a new species was named, ''I. pretiosus'', which was subsequently found to be a junior synonym of the type species. In 2015, Vucetich and colleagues described a new species of ''Incamys'', ''I. menniorum'', from the Sarmiento Formation of Chubut Province, Argentina. The following cladogram of the Caviomorpha is based on Busker ''et al.'' 2020, showing the position of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are native to all major land masses except for 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/ricochetal (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 Mouse, mice, rats, squirrels, prairie dogs, porcupines, beavers, Cavia, guinea pigs, and hamsters. Once included wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinchilla
Chinchilla refers to either of two species ('' Chinchilla chinchilla'' and '' Chinchilla lanigera'') of crepuscular rodents of the parvorder Caviomorpha, 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 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 extant terrestrial mammals, with around 20,000 hairs per square centimeter and 50 hairs growing from each follicle. The chinchilla is named after the Chincha people of the Andes, who once wore its dense, velvet-like fur and ate their meat. By the end of the 19th century, chinchillas had become quite rare after being hunted for their notably soft fur. Most chinchillas currently used by the fur ind ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Herbivore
A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically evolved to feed on plants, especially upon vascular tissues such as foliage, fruits or seeds, as the main component of its diet. These more broadly also encompass animals that eat non-vascular autotrophs such as mosses, algae and lichens, but do not include those feeding on decomposed plant matters (i.e. detritivores) or macrofungi (i.e. fungivores). As a result of their plant-based diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouth structures ( jaws or mouthparts) well adapted to mechanically break down plant materials, and their digestive systems have special enzymes (e.g. amylase and cellulase) to digest polysaccharides. Grazing herbivores such as horses and cattles have wide flat- crowned teeth that are better adapted for grinding grass, tree bark and other tougher lignin-containing materials, and many of them evolved rumination or cecotropic behaviors to better extract nutrients from plants. A larg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gran Chaco
The Gran Chaco or simply Chaco is a sparsely populated, hot and semiarid lowland tropical dry broadleaf forest natural region of the Río de la Plata basin, divided among eastern Bolivia, western Paraguay, northern Argentina, and a portion of the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, where it is connected with the Pantanal region. This land is sometimes called the Chaco Plain. The ecoregion has an estimated population of 3,985,000. Toponymy The name Chaco comes from the Quechua word meaning "hunting land", an indigenous language from the Andes and highlands of South America, and comes probably from the rich variety of animal life present throughout the entire region. Geography The Gran Chaco is about 647,500km2 (250,000 sq mi) in size, though estimates differ. It is located west of the Paraguay River and east of the Andes, and is mostly an alluvial sedimentary plain shared among Paraguay, Bolivia, and Argentina. It stretches from about 17 to 3 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
