The term chinchilla was coined after the word “Chincha” meaning the people of the Andes region, particularly the Andes Mountain in South America. Chinchilla means “little Chincha”. They were first born in the 19th century and were regarded to be the animals that have thick and soft fur.
Two Types
There are two types of chinchillas. The chinchilla brevicaudata, also known as the Bolivian, Peruvian and Royal chinchilla, and has a short tail. They came from the Andes Mountains in the regions of Chile, Peru and Bolivia. This type of Chinchillas has an exquisite type of fur and is said to be nearing its extinction. The number of these pets continue to decrease by the minute.
The second type is the chinchilla lanigera, which is also known as the Chilean, Coastal or Lesser chinchilla, and has a long tail.
You can find Chinchilla species in Chile. This type of Chinchilla is covered with hair although the literal meaning of their name is woolen coat. Their hair is soft, sleek and sticks to their skin. Furthermore, there are three more types of chinchilla lanigera: The LaPlata are muscular, round and have a short head. The Costina has longer hind legs, slight hump and a pointed nose. The Raton is similar to the LaPlata in they way it’s structured. It has a pointed nose and they are of a smaller size.
High Jump
Chinchillas reside in burrows or cracks that can be found in rocks. They jump really high up to about 5 feel high. When residing in the wild, chinchillas consume fruits, seeds, plants and small insects. Chinchillas are not very particular with their breeding season since they can do so any time of the year.
Newborns
Female chinchillas bear their child at a maximum of 11 days. Newborn Chinchillas have eyes that are already opened probably due to the fact that they have been in the womb for more several number of days. Also, their body are already filled with fur. Usually, the offspring comes around one or two.
Breeding
The first breeding of Chinchillas happened in 1895. That same year marked the very first year for this type of pet to be born. In 1986, the breeding process due to a certain type of disease that came unknown. 1918 marked the rebirth of Chinchillas and it was due to a man from California’s interest in breeding this particular type of pet.
The Chilean government first refused the insurgence of Chinchillas. In three long years, only 11 Chinchillas were captured and brought back to the United States. This marked the start of domesticating the Chinchillas.
Fur
The 16th century marked the international trade for Chinchilla’s fur. It is well loved by most people because of its very soft texture. It is used by people from all over the world for lining large and small pieces of clothing.
The fur of Chinchillas can also be used for creating a large and complete clothing structure. However, a lot of Chinchillas need to be killed in order to do so given the fact that they are very small creatures. Because of this, one of the species became non-existent and its supply became scarce.
Nowadays, people still hunt for Chinchillas to make clothing but the wild species are no longer targeted for hunting.