Long-Tailed Chinchilla

Scientific Name: Chinchilla lanigera

When a chinchilla takes a bath, it uses dust instead of water to help remove moisture from its thick fur.

  • Size:
    • Weight: 1 to 2 pounds
    • Head-to-Body Length: 9 to 15 inches
    • Tail Length: 3 to 6 inches
  • Diet: Grasses and grains
  • Habitat: Mountainous areas
  • Range in the Wild: Extreme Western South American Andes mountains, and Chile

Conservation Status

Listed as Critically Endangered - wild populations have declined by over 80-percent in the last decade due to being hunted for their fur

  1. 1 Long-Tailed Chinchilla 1
  2. 2 Long-Tailed Chinchilla 3
  3. 3 Long-Tailed Chinchilla 2

Slideshow photos by Joel Satore.