| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANIMALIA | CHORDATA | MAMMALIA | RODENTIA | CHINCHILLIDAE |
| Scientific Name: | Chinchilla chinchilla | |||||||||
| Species Authority: | (Lichtenstein, 1829) | |||||||||
Common Name/s:
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| Synonym/s: |
Chinchilla brevicauda
Chinchilla brevicaudata
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| Red List Category & Criteria: | Critically Endangered A2cd ver 3.1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Year Assessed: | 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Assessor/s | D'elia, G. & Ojeda, R. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Evaluator/s: | Amori, G. (Small Nonvolant Mammal Red List Authority) & Schipper, J. (Global Mammal Assessment Team) | ||||||||||||||||||
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Justification: Listed as Critically Endangered because of a drastic past population decline, estimated to be more than 90% over the last three generations (15 years) and is suspected to be reversible. This species is suspected to be recovering in some areas as the successful domestic cultivation of the species is helping to reduce illegal hunting and trapping in the wild. However, past declines alone warrant that this species be maintained as Critically Endangered until there is evidence of a true recovery trend and further information becomes available about existing populations. |
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| History: |
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| Range Description: | The historic distribution of this species extended throughout the Andes of Bolivia, Peru, northwest Argentina, and Chile. The species has since been eradicated from many areas of its former range; it is now extinct in Peru and Bolivia, where specimens have not been recorded for over 50 years (Tarifa 1996, Anderson 1997). However, recent reports (from interviews with local people and observations of park guides) from the border region of Bolivia (Potosi Department) and Chile (Antofagasta) seem to indicate extant populations (J. Jimenez and N. Bernal pers. comm.). The species is not likely to persist elsewhere in its historic range in Bolivia. There may be records of released pets in parts of its range. The distribution of this species in Bolivia needs review. |
| Countries: |
Native:
Argentina; Chile
Regionally extinct:
Peru
Presence uncertain:
Bolivia
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| Range Map: |
(click map to view full version)
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| Population: | The range of this species has been severely reduced to a portion of its former didtribution. In Bolivia, the species was thought to be extinct. However, there may be populations persisting on the border with Chile, in an isolated region with low human population. The populations experience natural fluctuations in relation to harsh winters. |
| Population Trend: |
Decreasing
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| Habitat and Ecology: | They live in burrows or rocky crevices usually in arid areas, and are strictly nocturnal. It is a colonial species and feeds on vegetation. |
| Systems: | Terrestrial |
| Major Threat(s): | The species was hunted extensively in the past, but it is now bred easily in captivity for the fur and pet trade so hunting in the wild is no longer a major threat. |
| Conservation Actions: | There are reports of the species existence in Bolivia from the Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve for Andean Fauna (N. Bernal pers. comm.). This species has been included in CITES Appendix I since 1975 as Chinchilla brevicaudata and since 1977 as Chinchilla chinchilla (see taxonomic notes). |
| Citation: | D'elia, G. & Ojeda, R. 2008. Chinchilla chinchilla. In: IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 02 December 2008. |
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