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

• 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.