EFA: Etsy For Animals Etsy For Animals: ANiMAL MUNDi: Meet the Viscacha by TheFrogBag


Etsy for Animals (EFA) aka Artists Helping Animals,

is a team of independent artists, craftspeople,

vintage sellers and craft suppliers on Etsy.com

who are dedicated to providing charitable relief to animals

by donating a portion of the profits from their shops

to an animal charity of their choosing,

and/or to EFA's featured Charity of the Month.

Thursday, March 08, 2012

ANiMAL MUNDi: Meet the Viscacha by TheFrogBag


Meet the Viscacha


Tourists usually go to Machu Picchu to see the ruins, the scenery, or the sunrise, but keen-eyed animal lovers are bound to spot some wildlife too. The llamas might be the first they notice, but what’s that hopping near the rocks? Could it be a small rabbit?


At first glance it does resembles a bunny. Except for the extravagantly curling tail. And the overly long whiskers. And the fact that it moves a bit oddly. Whatever it is, it sure is cute! That cuteness is a clue to its true identity though, since this resident of the “sacred city” is actually a type of chinchilla called a vischaca. All chinchillas are rodents, but most look more like some sort of fluffy space creature than a rat. Viscachas have developed a controlled jumping motion which, combined with their elongated ears and soft, thick fur, make them look something like cartoon rabbits instead.



used with kind permission

Photograph by Juan Carlos Manoz



There are four types of viscachas, all native to South America and nowhere else. They are primarily mountain dwellers, favoring arid slopes full of rocky outcroppings and hiding spots. In fact, the steeper the slope, the better. Viscachas are exceedingly agile, escaping into burrows or up precarious stony ridges at the first sign of trouble from airborne or terrestrial predators. And spotting trouble is something these rodents excel at. Often living in communal family groups, they all pay attention when any community member trills a warning.


As both herbivores and arid mountain dwellers their diet consists of grasses, moss, lichens, and tough fibrous plants that they nibble with constantly growing teeth. Babies are born already furred, with eyes open, ready to supplement their diet with solid food within their first week. They wean within two months and are ready to start families of their own after a year, a necessity in such a harsh climate.


And how, exactly, did that harsh climate produce such cute rodents? That is a mystery we may never solve.


Watch the video to see them in action... To view a larger size video - click HERE to visit ARKive's website or the play button below !

ARKive video - Southern viscachas warming up in the morning sun


5 comments:

  1. This is wonderful! Sharing it on FB!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aww, they are so cute! And fluffy! and round! Thanks for introducing us to these adorable and unique animals :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks everyone! Glad you enjoyed it!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I meant to say earlier that they are even cuter than pikas... great to see them in action too :)

    ReplyDelete

Please leave a positive comment :)
We shall publish it as soon as it is approved...
THANKS for visiting !

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...