Chinchilla rat

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For alternative meanings see Chinchilla (disambiguation).
Chinchilla rats
Fossil range: Late Miocene - Recent
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Suborder: Hystricomorpha
Infraorder: Caviomorpha
Family: Abrocomidae
Miller and Gidley, 1918
Genera

Abrocoma
Cuscomys
†Protabrocoma

Chinchilla rats are members of the family Abrocomidae. 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.

[edit] Species

[edit] References

  1. ^ Bishop, Ian (1984). in Macdonald, D.: The Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: Facts on File, 701. ISBN 0-87196-871-1. 
  2. ^ Allaby, Michael. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Zoology. pg 1. Oxford University Press. New York. 1992.
  3. ^ Huchon, D. and E. J. P. Douzery (2001). "From the Old World to the New World: a molecular chronicle of the phylogeny and biogeography of hystricognath rodents". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 20: 238–251. doi:10.1006/mpev.2001.0961. 
  • 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.

[edit] External links

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