The northern viscacha (''Lagidium peruanum'') is a species of

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 vi ...

, a

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 ...

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, ex ...

. It is known from

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

and

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

, at elevations from 300 to 5000 m, and may also be present in

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

Description

The northern viscacha grows to a head and body length of some with a bushy tail nearly as long which can be curled in a coil. The adult weight is between . Its long ears are furry and its body fur is dense and soft, but the tail has coarser hairs. The dorsal (upper) surface ranges from dark grey at lower altitudes to brown at higher elevations. The ventral (under) surface is cream or pale grey and the tip of the tail is reddish-brown or black. The northern viscacha has been observed leaping over six feet and can swim when necessary.

Distribution and habitat

The northern viscacha is native to central and southern Peru and northern Chile, and may also be present in the area around

Lake Titicaca Lake Titicaca (; ; ) is a large freshwater lake in the Andes mountains on the border of Bolivia and Peru. It is often called the highest navigable lake in the world. Titicaca is the largest lake in South America, both in terms of the volume of ...

in Peru and Bolivia. Its altitude range extends from above sea level. It makes its home in crevices in the rock and is found in various habitats where suitable rocky outcrops are found. Most populations occur between the

tree line The tree line is the edge of a habitat at which trees are capable of growing and beyond which they are not. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually low ...

and the

snow line The climatic snow line is the boundary between a snow-covered and snow-free surface. The actual snow line may adjust seasonally, and be either significantly higher in elevation, or lower. The permanent snow line is the level above which snow wil ...

, but the distribution is patchy with the animal being common in some localities and absent in others even though the habitat seems equally suitable.

Behaviour

The northern viscacha is a herbivore and feeds on a variety of plant material, including grasses, roots, and seeds. Breeding usually takes place during October and November. A litter usually consists of a single pup born after a

gestation Gestation is the period of development during the carrying of an embryo, and later fetus, inside viviparous animals (the embryo develops within the parent). It is typical for mammals, but also occurs for some non-mammals. Mammals during pregn ...

period around 140 days. The young is weaned when about 8 weeks old. It is preyed on by the

Andean mountain cat The Andean mountain cat (''Leopardus jacobita'') is a small wild cat native to the high Andes that has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List because fewer than 1,500 individuals are thought to exist in the wild. It is traditionally con ...

(''Leopardus jacobitus''), the colocolo (''Leopardus colocolo''), and the

culpeo The culpeo (''Lycalopex culpaeus''), also known as Culpeo zorro, Andean zorro, Andean fox, Paramo wolf, Andean wolf,Comparative ecology of two South American foxes, 'Dusicvon ariseus' and 'Culpaeus' by Warren E. Johnson. Doctoral dissertation. Io ...

(''Lycalopex culpaeus'') in high-altitude desert regions. The northern viscacha is more often found on larger, steeper portions of cliffs. This preference is probably driven by a need to avoid predators, as land-based carnivores are more easily evaded on a steep slope. It rarely ventures far from rocks, as these provide a means of escaping from both aerial and terrestrial predators. The northern viscacha rarely has more than 50 yards of open ground between its colony and water. Northern viscachas are gregarious and communicate using warning whistles. Vicuna will search for threats upon hearing the northern viscacha's whistle. The bolivian big-eared mouse will sun and feed alongside northern viscachas on occasion.

Status

The northern viscacha is common within suitable habitat in its range. The population size is relatively stable. Although it is hunted locally for food, no other significant threats have been identified; as such, the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

lists the species as being of

Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...

in its

Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological spe ...

Gallery

File:Vizcachas, ciudad de Chicla, Huarochiri, Lima, Perú.JPG, Vizcachas, Chicla city, Huarochiri, Lima, Peru File:Vizcachas, cerca de la ciudad de Chicla, camino a Laguna Neveria, Lima, Perú.JPG, Vizcachas, photos taken near Chicla city, road to Neveria Lagoon, Lima, Peru

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1763380 Chinchillidae Mammals of the Andes Mammals of Peru Mammals of Bolivia Mammals of Chile Taxa named by Franz Meyen Mammals described in 1833 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN