Without a question, chinchillas are beautiful and cute furry animals with large ears, a long tail and distinctive eyes. Do you know where they actually come from, what their name means and that we almost succeeded in nearly exterminating them before the domestication took place?
Chinchillas originally come from the south-American Andes, where they were one of the most widespread animals of these high mountains only less than 200 years ago. Their territory spread along the west coast over Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile. Here, in their natural environment, they live at 1500 – 3000 meters above the sea level in large colonies consisting of 15 – 100 individuals, hiding in rock crevices or digging dens. Their name (Chinchilla) is a combination of the words Chin and Chile, which in translation means fur from Chile.
For their characteristically dense and fine fur – this is caused by the individual hair follicles growing a tuft of 40 to 50 hairs – the chinchillas were valued already in the Inka times. Then, however, Europeans got to America and in the 17th century, they started to export the chinchilla’s fur to Europe. Up to 30,000 chinchilla skins were exported from Peru and Chile annually. This hunt took them to the brink of extinction. Following attempts of chinchilla breeding in captivity fell through since the mountain and cold-loving animals used to dryness did not survive sails over the equator where humidity and hot weather reigned. At the beginning of the 20th century, chinchilla was even declared extinct.
But American engineer Matthias F. Chapman believed, that in remote regions of the Andes, some chinchillas could have survived, and after long five years, he managed to find one of the last surviving colonies with the help of a local Indian. Chapman caught 12 chinchillas (only 3 of them were female). He equipped himself with cool boxes for the transport of the animals, so apart from one animal, all of them survived the crossing of the equator, and in 1923, he saw the birth of the first young animals at his farm in California. Today, their blood is present in virtually all the bred chinchillas, while the remnants of the wild chinchillas were granted the deserved protection shortly after: in 1929, the first law for chinchilla protection was issued and the National reservation for chinchillas was established in Chile.
Today, chinchillas are frequently bred all around the world in large private farms. However, only several small colonies survive in the wild, therefore, people try to return them into their original territories. Unfortunately, this hasn’t been very successful.
Have you ever watched your cat and asked yourself what it might be thinking? It sometimes seems that these furry friends enjoy situations in which you don’t know if they love your or want to claw your eyes out. They only sit and watch you from a...
These special dogs were bred and raised specifically for hunting of puffins and guillemots (water birds). For this reason, they have several very specific and for their purpose very practical physical deviations. For example, they have extremely...
They say there aren’t many activities as relaxing as fishing. And it’s no longer true that fishing is only for men. When my friend told me she takes her dog for fishing, I was really surprised. And I immediately had to question her about how it...
If you like small dogs, it will be easy for you to fall in love with pomeranians. Not only they look like teddy bears with a nice face and look, they will also impress you with their nature. They belong to sociable dog breeds rightfully. Besides their...
Living with dogs is such a natural thing for us dog lovers that we sometimes treat them more like people. We love them, we nurture them but we may sometimes care a bit too much and unintentionally harm our furry friends. Such cases include wrong fur...
Miniature pinscher is also called min pin or German pinscher. There is a great personality with a big heart inside its little body. It is a big warrior,sports dog and a tourist. Perfect sports for this breed are for example dog dancing or agility where...
Some animals are simply talented for water sports. Already as a puppy, Ricochet grabbed people’s attention for her confidence she jumped into sea waves with. Later on, she became a dog hero helping disabled and a role model for many enthusiasts who...
While in the wildlife, their diet depends on natural instincts, rodents kept by humans and other small animals require a regular and balanced diet. What should rodent’s diet include and what should it avoid? What food is dangerous/safe for it? And what...
If you wish to do sports with your dog, you should at first think about if it’s right for you pet, no matter if you want to do it for leisure or top-level. And not only from the point of view of your pet’s nature but also of its physical predispositions.
Have you ever discussed whether a cat or a dog is more intelligent with your friends? Reportedly, scientists already know the answer. In this article, I mention a few facts and observations from a recently published research paper on this topic.
Cats can handle a new human in your family very badly. They are more sensitive to the changes than dogs. Are you interested in what you can do to enjoy this time and not to deal with the problems with your cat?
Are you considering getting a rodent as your new pet but you are afraid it won’t be doing good with your dog under one roof? Don’t be afraid, dogs and rodents can do great together. It is important to teach your dog from an early age that other animals...
