Viscacha facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Viscacha |
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Chinchillidae
Bennett, 1833
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Lagidium |
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Viscachas are furry animals that belong to the rodent family. They are related to chinchillas, and together they form the family called Chinchillidae. Viscachas look a bit like rabbits or large guinea pigs.
There are two main groups, or genera, of viscachas, and these groups include four different types, called species.
Contents
Types of Viscachas
Plains Viscacha
The Plains Viscacha (Lagostomus maximus) lives in the Pampas grasslands of Argentina and Chile. You can easily tell them apart from other viscachas. They have special black and gray markings on their faces that look like a big moustache!
These viscachas live in large groups called colonies. Their homes are underground tunnels and rooms, known as warrens. A colony can have anywhere from ten to over one hundred viscachas living together. They are quite noisy and will make loud alarm calls if they sense danger.
Sometimes, farmers see plains viscachas as a problem. This is because the viscachas eat a lot of grass. This means there is less grass for farm animals, like cows, to eat.
Northern Viscacha
The Northern Viscacha (Lagidum peruanum) makes its home in the Peruvian Andes mountains. They live very high up, between where trees stop growing and where the snow begins. Their fur is usually gray or brown on their backs. They have a long, bushy tail and big, furry ears.
These viscachas also live in large colonies. However, each family unit within the colony has its own space. You can think of it like an apartment building for viscachas! They eat many different kinds of plants. Since they live in a tough, rocky environment, they are not very picky about their food.
Mountain Viscacha
The Mountain Viscacha (Lagidum viscacia) is also known as the Southern Viscacha. This species is quite similar to the northern viscacha. However, its fur often has more of a reddish color. It lives in similar mountain habitats in the Andes.
Wolffsohn's Viscacha
Very little is known about Wolffsohn's Viscacha (Lagidum wolffsohni). This species is much rarer than the other three types of viscachas. Scientists are still learning about them.
Images for kids
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A southern viscacha in the Sur Lipez desert, Bolivia
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Viscacha near Salar De Uyuni, 2017
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A viscacha warms itself in the morning sun in the Andes mountains in Chile.
See also
In Spanish: Vizcacha para niños
