chinchilla

Definition

A small, crepuscular rodent of the genus Chinchilla, native to the Andes Mountains, prized for their very soft fur and often kept as pets.

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish chinchilla.

Example Sentences

• "It's important to put a lot of thought into owning a chinchilla since they have a considerably long lifespan of 10 to 20 years. Chinchillas are most widely known for their exceptional fur coat."
• "Chinchillas inhabit high elevations (3,000–5,000m) of the Chilean Andes Mountains. The chinchillas kept as pet or research animals in North America are all descendents^([sic]) of 13 founders wild caught in 1927."
• "Chinchillas are long-lived rodents that are native to South America, primarily Peru, Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. The chinchilla is a hystricomorph (hedgehoglike) rodent closely related to guinea pigs, porcupines, and agoutis (Hrapkiewicz et al., 1998)."