Head to head
Short-tailed Chinchilla vs Chinchilla
Both species were hunted to the brink of extinction for their extraordinarily dense fur, but their paths since have diverged sharply.
| Short-tailed Chinchilla | Chinchilla | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Chinchilla chinchilla | Chinchilla lanigera |
| Conservation status | Critically Endangered | Endangered |
| Tail length | Shorter, thicker build overall | Longer tail, more slender build |
| Historic range | High Andes of Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina | North-central Chile |
| Wild population today | A handful of remote Chilean sites | A few thousand in scattered colonies |
| Captive population | Never widely established in captivity | Millions of domesticated descendants worldwide |
| Elevation | 3,000-5,000 metres historically | 3,000-5,000 metres historically |
| Diet | Grasses, seeds, sparse vegetation | Grasses, seeds, cactus fruit, lichen, bark |
Short-tailed Chinchilla vs Chinchilla: common questions
Which chinchilla species is closer to extinction?
The short-tailed chinchilla is, classified as Critically Endangered and confined to only a handful of remote high-Andean sites in Chile, compared to the chinchilla's Endangered status.
Why does only the chinchilla have a large captive population?
A small number of wild long-tailed chinchillas were exported to the United States in the 1920s and became the founders of today's pet and fur-farm population; the short-tailed chinchilla was never established in captivity on a comparable scale.
How can you tell the two chinchilla species apart?
The short-tailed chinchilla has a shorter tail and a bulkier build with a thicker neck and shoulders, while the chinchilla, or long-tailed chinchilla, has a more slender body and a proportionally longer tail.