Chinchilla Rats: Abrocomidae - Physical Characteristics, Behavior And Reproduction, Chinchilla Rats And People, Ashy Chinchilla Rat (abrocoma Cinerea): Species Account - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, HABITAT, DIET, CONSERVATION STATUS
listed
They are found from coastal areas to the Andes Mountains in southern Peru, northern Chile, northwest Argentina, and central Bolivia.
Chinchilla rats live in rock crevices and elaborate burrows under rocks or at the base of shrubs.
Chinchilla rats are herbivores, meaning they eat only plants. The feed at night on seeds, fruits, and nuts.
The Bolivian chinchilla rat is listed as Vulnerable, facing a high risk of extinction in the wild, due to its population being confined to a small area. The other chinchilla rats are not listed as threatened by the IUCN.
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There is very little scientific information on the behavior of chinchilla rats, due to their small population. Only a handful of research has been done on the small rodents. What is known has usually been gained by observing the behavior of only a few of each species. Chinchilla rats live inside burrows in colonies of up to six individuals. Colonies are usually close together, sometimes as little …
Physical characteristics: The head and body length of the ashy chinchilla rat is 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 centimeters) with a tail length of 2.4 to 7.2 inches (6 to 18 centimeters). They weigh from 7.1 to 10.6 ounces (200 to 300 grams). They have large, round ears, large eyes, and an elongated head. They have short legs with four toes on the front feet and five toes on the back feet. The fur of th…
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User Comments
over 2 years ago
jennifer Carr
this species is now critically endangered