Sunday, October 30, 2011

Chinchilla Beginnings - A Couple of Interesting Chinchilla Facts

By Jack Sterling


Where is the Chinchilla from?

The Chinchilla was first discovered in South America. Travelers from Spain met a tribe of Indians known as "Chinchas" who introduced them to the animal. They Spaniards named it Chinchilla, literally meaning "Little Chinchas" after the tribe.

Two species of Chinchilla remain. There used to be a handful of different Chinchilla types, but they were either wiped out by means of hunting or through natural selection.

In the wild, chinchillas live as a group in herds. They are generally found in rock crevices in addition to burrows. Being a small, as well as not highly ferocious rodent, the chinchilla has a wide array of potential predators that it should steer clear of; most notably snakes, dogs, skunks, together with various birds of prey. In the case of an encounter, it defends itself against the predators by spraying urine and releasing tufts of fur, should it get injured or caught. Wild chinchillas dine on fruits, vegetation, good sized bugs and seeds.

Chinchillas can decide to breed during pretty much any time of the year. Their pregnancy time period lasts a remarkable 111 days, longer compared to most other rodents. Because of the extensive pregnancy length, chinchillas are usually born with open eyes and a body loaded with fur. The actual litters average between 1 and 2. Most provide birth to twins.

Here's a bunch of entertaining chinchilla facts

Chinchillas has a lifespan between 10 and 20 years. Thus far, the oldest specimen known reached an amazing 27 to 29 years of age.

Chinchillas are generally, like some other rodents, gifted by having an amazing ability in regards to leaping. They've been seen to leap as much as 6 feet high into the air.

Their fur is amazingly soft; an unlucky characteristic that caused a younger species of the rodent to go extinct thanks to excessive hunting.

The chinchilla cannot sweat, so it needs to maintain its temperature below 80 (25C), otherwise it could get overheated. It has to direct warmth to its large ears through the blood stream.

Chinchillas are awake at nighttime and asleep during the day. Keep this in mind in case you're planning on placing your chinchilla in the bedroom.




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