The History of the Chinchilla
This
exotic animal was named after the Chincha people of the Andes region.
The Andes Mountains in South America. Chinchilla actually means "little
Chincha". Back around the close of the 19th century, the animals were
known for their thick and soft fur.
There
are two types of chinchillas. The chinchilla brevicaudata, which is
also known as the Bolivian, Peruvian and Royal chinchilla, has a short
tail. They came from the Andes Mountains in the regions of Chile, Peru
and Bolivia. This chinchilla was on the verge of becoming extinct and
were known for the exquisite fur. Even with the fur, the population of
these animals continued to decrease. The chinchilla lanigera, which is
also known as the Chilean, Coastal or Lesser chinchilla, has a long
tail.
This species of
chinchilla can be found in Chile. Even though the word "lanigera" means
"having a woolen coat", they are covered with hair instead. The hair is
soft, sleek and sticks to their skin. There are three 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.
Burrows
or cracks in rocks are where chinchillas reside. They can jump very
well and at least up to 5 feet high. When residing in the wild,
chinchillas consume fruits, seeds, plants and small insects. As far as
breeding is concerned, that can take place at any time of the year.
When the female chinchillas do procreate, their average length of
pregnancy is 111 days. For a chinchilla, that's a long period of time
compared to other animals in that group. Because their pregnancies are
so long, their offspring are born with their eyes open and their body
full of fur. At the time of delivery, their litter is usually one or
two, with the two more times than not are twins.
The
first try of breeding started in 1895. In that same year, the first
animal was born and each year two litters were born. In the summer of
1896, an unknown disease halted the breeding process. By then, there
were 13 animals and all of them succumbed within two months time.
Around 1918, there was a resurgence of chinchillas. A man from
California was interested in trapping chinchillas so he could raise
them as pets.
At
first, the Chilean government refused, but as the man kept asking, the
government relented. During three year period, only eleven chinchillas
were captured. They were brought back and bred in the United States.
This process started the first chinchilla farm. This also started the
process of the domestic chinchilla.
The
interest in chinchilla fur started in the 16th century as international
trade. Chinchilla fur is prevalent because it has a soft texture.
Because of even color across the board, people like to use it for
lining large pieces of clothing or small pieces of clothing.
The
fur can also be used to create an entire large piece of clothing. So
many chinchillas must be destroyed in order to make a coat because
their skin is so small. Because of this, one of the species became
non-existent and supply for the other became scarce. People still hunt
and kill domestic chinchillas to create clothing, but wild chinchillas
are no longer targeted for hunting.
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