Short-tailed Chinchilla 🐾

Short-tailed Chinchilla

The short-tailed chinchilla ( Chinchilla chinchilla; formerly C. brevicaudata )—also called the Bolivian , Peruvian , or royal chinchilla —is an endangered species of South American rodent, and one of two species in the genus Chinchilla. Their original native range extended throughout the Andes Mountains of Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Bolivia. These animals were exploited for their luxurious fur, causing their numbers in the wild to dwindle. The other species of chinchilla is also endangered; C. lanigera , or the long-tailed chinchilla,...