Abrocomidae – Chinchilla rats

The family of chinchilla rats -which are charismatic but look like someone crossed a chinchilla with a rat

There is a separate family for chinchilla rats, just as there are separate families for chinchillas and rats. Their long tails set them apart from other rodents, and they are only found in the Andes and surrounding areas. Like most rodent species around the world, chinchilla rats spend much of their time foraging for food to keep their metabolisms running.

It is believed that these rodents live in colonies, and it is most likely that they are herbivorous; nevertheless, very little is known about their diets, along with the majority of other parts of their biology, due to the fact that they are so difficult to spot.