Chinchilla rats or ''chinchillones'' are
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 specie ...
s of the family Abrocomidae. This family has few members compared to most rodent families, with only nine known living species. They resemble
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 "her ...
s in appearance, with a similar soft fur and silvery-grey color, but have a body structure more like a short-tailed
rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include '' Neotoma'' (pack rats), '' Bandicota'' (bandicoo ...
. They are social, tunnel-dwelling animals, and live in the
Andes Mountains
The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long and wide (widest between 18°S ...
of
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
. They are probably
herbivorous
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 n ...
, although this is not clear.
They can be described as medium-sized. Stiff hairs project over the three middle digits of the rear feet. Their massive skulls narrow in the facial areas. Some
molecular work suggests that, despite their appearance, they may be more closely related to
octodontoids such as
degus,
nutria
The nutria () or coypu () (''Myocastor coypus'') is a herbivore, herbivorous, semiaquatic rodent from South America.
Classified for a long time as the only member of the family Myocastoridae, ''Myocastor'' has since been included within Echimy ...
, and
tuco-tucos than they are to chinchillas and
viscachas.
Etymology
The family name is derived from the Ancient Greek word (, "with delicate hair"). The word () means "delicate, graceful" and the word () means "hair".
Species
*Family Abrocomidae - chinchilla rats
**†''Protabrocoma''
***†''Protabrocoma antigua''
**''
Abrocoma''
***''A. bennettii'' -
Bennett's chinchilla rat
***''A. boliviensis'' -
Bolivian chinchilla rat
***''A. budini'' -
Budin's chinchilla rat
***''A. cinerea'' -
ashy chinchilla rat
***''A. famatina'' -
Famatina chinchilla rat
***''A. schistacea'' -
Sierra del Tontal chinchilla rat
***''A. uspallata'' -
Uspallata chinchilla rat
***''A. vaccarum'' -
Punta de Vacas chinchilla rat or Mendozan chinchilla rat
**''
Cuscomys''
***''C. ashaninka'' -
Asháninka arboreal chinchilla rat
***''C. oblativus'' -
Machu Picchu arboreal chinchilla rat
References
;Citations
;Bibliography
*Braun, J. K. and M. A. Mares. 2002. Systematics of the ''Abrocoma cinerea'' species complex (Rodentia: Abrocomidae), with a description of a new species of ''Abrocoma''. Journal of Mammalogy, 83:1-19.
*Emmons, L. H. 1999. A new genus and species of abrocomid rodent from Peru (Rodentia: Abrocomidae). American Museum Novitas, 3279:1-14.
External links
Animal Diversity web site's chinchilla rat informationITIS entry for Abrocomidae
Caviomorpha
Extant Miocene first appearances
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