Photo by Harald Lange/ullstein bild via Getty Images

What happens when extremely rare chinchillas live on top of 3.5 million ounces of gold?

Chinchillas are really tiny weighing between 1-2 pounds and are typically reach anyway from 12-20 inches from to head to tail. These rodents are native to the Andes Mountains of northern Chile and live in elevations of 3000 to 5000 meters (9,800 to 16,400 feet). Chinchillas are covered in thick fur in order to withstand the cold mountains where the average temperature can be -5 to -10 degrees Celsius (15-20 degrees Fahrenheit). However, this also means that they don’t do well in high temperatures and humidity which can cause them to have heat stroke.

Chinchillas are nocturnal animals and make their home by taking shelter in tiny rock crevasses or burrowing into the ground and creating a network of underground tunnels. During mating season, the females are in charge and can be aggressive towards males. The females tend to just have one mating partner their whole life while the males tend to have multiple female mates. The gestation period for female is a little over 100 days, which means it’s common for them to give birth twice a year (usually 1-6 babies).

According to Live Science, it said that ancestors of the chinchillas may have been the first rodents to spread across South America around 71 millions ago. However, in the 1700s, the chinchilla’s thick fur became highly sought about which nearly led to their extinction in the early 20th century until countries like Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru stepped and banned the hunting of these rodents.

Now you might be wondering how did chinchillas end up as household pets in North America. The story goes that in 1923, an American mining engineer received permission from the Chilean government to bring 11 chinchillas back to the United States. Therefore pretty much every pet chinchilla in North America is a direct descendant of those 11 chinchillas that arrived nearly 100 years ago.

That’s enough about chinchillas. Feel free to watch more videos about tiny rodents and check out some articles about cursed artificats, fried chicken, Machu Picchu and amish country down below. Let’s dive into Frosted Flakes...

Frosted Flakes

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Travel

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The Rest

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Cute Chinchillas

Last But Not Least

Are you still carving pumpkins for Halloween this year?