Chinchilla rat

For alternative meanings, see Chinchilla (disambiguation).

Chinchilla rats Temporal range: Late Miocene–Recent PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Suborder:	Hystricomorpha
Infraorder:	Caviomorpha
Family:	Abrocomidae Miller and Gidley, 1918
Genera
Abrocoma Cuscomys †Protabrocoma

Chinchilla rats or chinchillones are members of the family Abrocomidae. This family has few members compared to most rodent families with only 9 known living species. They resemble Chinchillas in appearance, with a similar soft fur and silvery-grey color, but have a body-structure more like a short-tailed rat. They are social, tunnel-dwelling animals, and live in the Andes Mountains of South America. They are probably herbivorous, although this is not clear.^[1]

They can be described as medium sized. Stiff hairs project over the three middle digits of the rear feet. Their massive skulls narrow in the facial areas.^[2] Some molecular work,^[3] suggests that, despite their appearance, they may be more closely related to octodontoids such as degus, nutria, and tuco-tucos than they are to chinchillas and viscachas.

Species

• Family Abrocomidae - chinchilla rats
  • †Protabrocoma
    • †Protabrocoma antigua
  • Abrocoma
    • Abrocoma bennettii - Bennett's Chinchilla Rat
    • Abrocoma boliviensis - Bolivian Chinchilla Rat
    • Abrocoma budini - Budin's Chinchilla Rat
    • Abrocoma cinerea - Ashy Chinchilla Rat
    • Abrocoma famatina - Famatina Chinchilla Rat
    • Abrocoma schistacea - Sierra Del Tontai Chinchilla Rat
    • Abrocoma uspallata - Uspallata Chinchilla Rat
    • Abrocoma vaccarum - Mendozan Chinchilla Rat
  • Cuscomys
    • Cuscomys ashaninka - Asháninka Arboreal Chinchilla Rat
    • †Cuscomys oblativus - Machu Picchu Arboreal Chinchilla Rat

References

1. ^ Bishop, Ian (1984). Macdonald, D.. ed. The Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: Facts on File. p. 701. ISBN 0-87196-871-1. 
2. ^ Allaby, Michael. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Zoology. pg 1. Oxford University Press. New York. 1992.
3. ^ Huchon, D. and E. J. P. Douzery (2001). "From the Old World to the New World: a molecular chronicle of the phylogeny and biogeography of hystricognath rodents". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 20 (2): 238–251. doi:10.1006/mpev.2001.0961. PMID 11476632. 

• Braun, J. K. and M. A. Mares. 2002. Systematics of the Abrocoma cinerea species complex (Rodentia: Abrocomidae), with a description of a new species of Abrocoma. Journal of Mammalogy, 83:1-19.
• Emmons, L. H. 1999. A new genus and species of abrocomid rodent from Peru (Rodentia: Abrocomidae). American Museum Novitas, 3279:1-14.

External links

• Animal Diversity web site's chinchilla rat information
• ITIS entry for Abrocomidae