Abrocoma cinerea

ashy chinchilla rat

Features
By Natalee Nash

Geographic Range

Chinchilla rats, Ambrocoma cinerea are restricted to the Altiplano of the Andes of South America, from Southern Bolivia and Peru into Central Chile. (Myers, 1999)

Habitat

Chinchilla rats are restricted to the Altiplano region of the Andes, they occur in rocky areas between 3700 and 5000 meters. Burrows can commonly be found under rocks or at the bases of shrubs. (Encarta, 2000; Nowak, 1991).

Physical Description

Chinchilla rats range from 15 to 25 cm long, not including the tail, which can be from 6 to 18 cm long. They weigh 200 to 300 g. Chinchilla rats have large, round ears and large eyes, the head is elongate. Limbs are short with 4 digits on the forefoot and 5 on the hindfoot. The fur is thick and soft,silver-gray in color above and white or yellow underneath. The fur is similar in texture to a chinchilla's, though less desirable in the fur trade. (Encarta, 2000; Nowak, 1991)

Reproduction

Very little is known about reproduction in Abrocoma cinerea . The length of gestation ranges from 115 to 118 days with 1-2 young per litter. (Grzimeck, 1975; Nowak, 1991)

Behavior

Chinchilla rats live in small colonies of about six. Burrows may be only 18 meters apart. They communicate using a variety of sounds including grunts, squeaks, and gurgles (Encarta, 2000; Nowak, 1991).

Communication and Perception

Food Habits

Chinchilla rats are herbivorous and nocturnal. The diet includes seeds, fruits, and nuts. Though primarily terrestrial, they are capable of climbing as well. (Encarta, 2000; Encyclopedia Britannica Online, 2000)

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

There is no great economic importance to humans. Skins of chinchilla rats are sometimes sold at fur markets but are not of much value (Nowak, 1991).

Conservation Status

Chinchilla rats are somtimes hunted for pelts. There is no true commercial value but they are sometimes sold to travelers as true Chinchilla. For this reason, and because of habitat destruction, they have become rare. (Nowak, 1991).

Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

Natalee Nash (author), Fresno City College, Carl Johansson (editor), Fresno City College.

Neotropical

living in the southern part of the New World. In other words, Central and South America.

World Map

native range

the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.

mountains

This terrestrial biome includes summits of high mountains, either without vegetation or covered by low, tundra-like vegetation.

iteroparous

offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).

seasonal breeding

breeding is confined to a particular season

sexual

reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female

fertilization

union of egg and spermatozoan

internal fertilization

fertilization takes place within the female's body

viviparous

reproduction in which fertilization and development take place within the female body and the developing embryo derives nourishment from the female.

young precocial

young are relatively well-developed when born

motile

having the capacity to move from one place to another.

social

associates with others of its species; forms social groups.

herbivore

An animal that eats mainly plants or parts of plants.

granivore

an animal that mainly eats seeds

endothermic

animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.

bilateral symmetry

having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.

tactile

uses touch to communicate

chemical

uses smells or other chemicals to communicate

References

Grzimeck, B. 1975. The Cavies: The Family of Rat Chinchillas. Pp. 422, 427 in Grzimeck's Animal Life Encyclopedia Vol. 2 Mammals 2 . New York: Van Nostrand Co..

Myers, P. Nov. 27, 1999. "Ambrocomidae" (On-line). Accessed Oct.14, 2000 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/chordata/mammalia/rodentia/abrocomidae.html .

Nowak, R. 1991. Rodentia: Ambrocomidae Chinchilla Rats or Chinchillones. Pp. 941-942 in Walker's Mammals of the World 5 Ed. Vol.2 . Baltimore and London: Johns Hopkins University Press.

2000. "Chinchilla Rat" (On-line). Accessed Sept 24 at http://www.britannica.com/seo/c/chinchilla-rat/ .

2000. Chinchilla Rat. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000 .

To cite this page: Nash, N. 2001. "Abrocoma cinerea" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed {%B %d, %Y} at https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Abrocoma_cinerea/

Last updated: 2001-00-09 / Generated: 2025-10-03 00:59

Privacy Consent Preference

This website uses some essential cookies to make it work. We’d like to set additional analytics cookies to analyze site usage. We won’t set these additional cookies unless you accept them.