Monday, November 21, 2011

How? What? Where? A Bunch of Fun Chinchilla Facts

By Jack Sterling


Birthplace of the Chinchilla

Chinchillas are small rodents that come from the Andes mountains in South America. Its interesting name stands for "little Chincha", named after the Chicha people from the abovementioned Andes mountain range.

Of the Chinchillas, the two most known types are the Chinchilla Lanigera and the Chinchilla Chinchilla. The latter of the two is the biggest one, boasting an overall bigger and more muscular body, although it's tail is shorter.

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 select to reproduce during pretty much any time of the year. Their gestation time period lasts a remarkable 111 days, longer compared to the majority of rodents. Due to the extensive pregnancy period, chinchillas are born with open eyes along with a body full of fur. The actual litters average in between 1 and 2. A good number provide birth to twins.

A number of remarkable and fun chinchilla facts

The oldest Chinchilla to date lived for 29 years. The average chinchilla will live for anywhere between 10 and 20 years.

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 heat to its large ears through the blood stream, so if you observe that your fuzzy companion suddenly started sporting crimson ears; it's time for you to cool it down.

They are a nocturnal rodent. They're awake during the night and asleep during the day. Keep this in mind in case you're considering placing your chinchilla in the bedroom.




About the Author:



>
AddThis Social Bookmark Button

0 comments: