Here are some fun, interesting, and very true facts about..... Chinchillas!Did you know that... -Chinchillas are native to the Andes mountains in South America -the word Chinchilla means "little chincha" after the Chincha people of the andes -chinchillas live in burrows or crevices in rocks at high altitude -There are 2 types of chinchillas- Chinchilla brevicaudata and Chinchilla lanigera -the giant chinchilla was a third species that was hunted to extinction -Chinchillas can jump up to 6 ft high! -Chinchillas eat plant leaves, fruits, seeds, and small insects -They only drink small amounts of water -Chinchillas are born with eyes open and fully furred, and can walk soon after birth -Chinchillas in the wild are very rare because they are hunted for their very soft fur -Chinchilla fur is about 30 times softer than human hair and is considered to be the softest in the world! -It takes about 250 chinchillas to make 1 fur coat! -chinchillas' fur is so thick that in the wild, they take dust baths because water won't easily penetrate all the way to their skin -Wild chinchillas have gray fur, but domesticated chinchillas' fur comes in a variety of different colors! -Chinchillas can survive altitudes as high as 15,000 ft! -Chinchillas live 10-20 years -Chinchillas have no dander, which is the main cause to pet allergies -Chinchillas also make great pets! -Viscachas are rodents related to chinchillas and look similar to rabbits. together, the viscacha and the chinchilla make up the Chinchillidae family Sources: * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinchilla *http://www.chinchillafacts.net/wild_chinchillas/wild_chinchillas.html *http://www.chinchillasource.com/chinchillafacts.html *http://www.fortheloveofchinchillas.com/mutations.html
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Wanna learn about more animals? Visit other animal of the month pages:
Monkey Mania-April 2012 Penguins- may 2012 Chinchillas- June 2012 Orcas- July 2012 Seals- September 2012 Domesticated chinchillas come in many different colors...
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