Chinchilla lanigera

• The skeleton of the long-tailed chinchilla can compress vertically, allowing it to easily squeeze through narrow spaces between rocks. This feature is related to the fact that chinchillas are active during the dark hours of the day.
• Gestation lasts 111 days — one of the longest among rodents; young are born fully furred with eyes open.
• The long-tailed chinchilla can give birth starting at about six months of age. In a year, it can give birth 2–3 times, with 2–3 offspring in each litter, sometimes up to 5.
• The young of the long-tailed chinchilla are able to feed themselves independently already one week after birth. In nature, chinchillas are monogamous and form stable pairs.
• The long-tailed chinchilla has 20 teeth, 16 of which are molars, and they grow throughout their life. It has 16 molars that continue to grow throughout their entire life.
• The fur of the long-tailed chinchilla is very soft and dense, reaching up to 4 cm in length, and 60–70 hairs grow from each follicle. Such fur density is ensured by the fact that 60–70 hairs grow from each follicle.
• The long-tailed chinchilla has a very well-developed cerebellum. Its reaction speed compensates for its weak and monocular vision.
• It can jump up to 1.8 m high.
• The fur is so dense that fleas and other parasites can barely live in it.
• Lives in family groups in rock crevices.