Long-tailed Chinchilla

The dense coat of the chinchilla helps it survive in its cold mountain habitat.  It may have as many as 60 hairs growing from a single follicle.  The chinchilla doesn't lick its fur to clean it; rather it rolls in volcanic dust to remove oils and parasites.

Despite being common in the pet trade the long-tailed chinchilla is critically endangered in the wild.  It has been hunted to near extinction for its thick soft fur.  It can take 100 or more chinchillas to make a single full-length coat.

HABITATBarren, rocky mountainsides in the Andes
DIETRoots, tubers, bulbs and mosses
LIFE Expectancy8-10 years