Chinchillas are either of two species of crepuscular rodents of the parvorder Caviomorpha. They are slightly larger and more robust than ground squirrels, and are native to the Andes mountains in South America. They live in colonies called "herds" at high elevations of up to 4,270 m (14,000 ft). Historically, chinchillas lived in an area that included parts of Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, and Chile, but today, colonies in the wild are known only in Chile. Along with their relatives, viscachas, they make up the family Chinchillidae. They are also related to the chinchilla rat.
In paleontology, a Lazarus taxon is a taxon that disappears for one or more periods from the fossil record, only to appear again later. Likewise in conservation biology and ecology, it can refer to species or populations that were thought to be extinct, and are rediscovered. The term Lazarus taxon was coined by Karl W. Flessa & David Jablonski in 1983 and was then expanded by Jablonski in 1986. Wignall and Benton defined Lazarus taxa as, "At times of biotic crisis many taxa go extinct, but others only temporarily disappeared from the fossil record, often for intervals measured in millions of years, before reappearing unchanged". Earlier work also supports the concept though without using the name Lazarus taxon, like work by Christopher R. C. Paul.
Chinchilla rats or chinchillones are members of the family Abrocomidae. This family has few members compared to most rodent families, with only nine known living species. They resemble chinchillas in appearance, with a similar soft fur and silvery-grey color, but have a body structure more like a short-tailed rat. They are social, tunnel-dwelling animals, and live in the Andes Mountains of South America. They are probably herbivorous, although this is not clear.
The Asháninka arboreal chinchilla rat is a large species of chinchilla rats from the Andes of far northern Cusco in Peru. It was first scientifically described in 1999.
The Machu Picchu arboreal chinchilla rat is a large species of South American chinchilla rats, known from skeletal remains found by members of the Peruvian Expedition of 1912. The animals were buried alongside people in ancient Inca tombs at Machu Picchu in Peru. It was considered extinct by the IUCN in 2008, but conservation status was changed to data deficient in 2016. Photos of a rodent taken at Machu Picchu in late 2009 likely show this species, a finding apparently confirmed in 2014.
Oecomys paricola, also known as the Brazilian oecomys, Brazilian arboreal rice rat, or South Amazonian arboreal rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Oecomys of family Cricetidae. It is found in central Brazil south of the Amazon, where it lives in lowland tropical rainforest.
Oecomys trinitatis, also known as the long-furred oecomys, long-furred rice rat, Trinidad arboreal rice rat, or big arboreal rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Oecomys of family Cricetidae. As currently constituted, it has a wide distribution in Central America and South America, being found in southern Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, much of Brazil, eastern Ecuador, and eastern Peru.
The Rio de Janeiro arboreal rat is a rodent species from South America. It is found in Brazil. It is the only species in the genus Phaenomys.
The Incan little mastiff bat is a species of bat in the family Molossidae, the free-tailed bats. It belongs to the subgenus Micronomus.
The Altiplano chinchilla mouse or achallo is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is the only species in the genus Chinchillula. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru.
Melanomys zunigae, also known as Zuniga's melanomys or Zuniga's dark rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Melanomys of family Cricetidae. Known only from a small region of coastal Peru, it is listed as "critically endangered" by the IUCN and may even be extinct.
Microryzomys minutus, also known as the montane colilargo or the forest small rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Microryzomys of family Cricetidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, but these populations may represent more than one species.
Gastrotheca excubitor is a species of frog in the family Hemiphractidae. It is endemic to southern Peru and occurs in the Amazonian slopes and crests of the Cordillera Oriental in the Cusco Region; records from the Cajamarca Region are likely erroneous. It is likely to include cryptic species. Common name Abra Acanacu marsupial frog has been coined for it.
The bare-tailed armored tree-rat is a species of arboreal rodent in the family Echimyidae. It is found in lowland tropical rainforest east of the Andes in Ecuador and Peru.
Amphinectomys savamis, also known as the Ucayali water rat or amphibious rat, is a rodent from the Peruvian Amazon. It is placed as the only member of genus Amphinectomys in the tribe Oryzomyini of family Cricetidae. It is similar to Nectomys, but its discoverers considered it to be different enough to require its own genus. When it was described as a new genus in 1994, knowledge of the variation within Nectomys was much more limited than it is now, and it has been suggested that the status of the taxon be re-examined considering this new information. The species's karyotype, 2n = 52, falls within the known range of Nectomys.
Euryoryzomys macconnelli, also known as MacConnell's rice rat or MacConnell's oryzomys, is a rodent species from South America. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela, where it lives in lowland tropical rainforest. It was formerly placed in the genus Oryzomys, as Oryzomys macconnelli, but in 2006 it was reclassified as the type species of the new genus Euryoryzomys.
Dollman's melomys is a species of rodent from the family Muridae. It lives in the eastern highlands of Papua New Guinea at an elevation of at least 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) and on the slopes of Mount Hagen and Mount Sisa. However, it is not found east of the Okapa area. It is an arboreal species occurring in montane secondary and degraded forest, preferring moist tropical environments. Formerly considered to be a subspecies of the black-tailed mosaic-tailed rat, the Dollman's melomys is also often listed as its binomial synonym, Melomys gracilis. The melomys is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List due to its wide range, lack of threats, and tolerance of disturbance.
The Manus Island mosaic-tailed rat or Manus melomys is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is endemic to the island of Manus in Papua New Guinea where it occurs in forest habitats and is largely arboreal.
The short-tailed Talaud mosaic-tailed rat or the short-tailed Talaud melomys is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is endemic to Karakelong and Salebabu in the Talaud Islands in Indonesia where it occurs in forest habitats. The long-tailed Talaud mosaic-tailed rat is also present on the islands and the shorter tail of this species means that it is likely to be mainly terrestrial whereas M. talaudium is largely arboreal.
The long-tailed Talaud mosaic-tailed rat or the long-tailed Talaud melomys is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is endemic to Karakelong and Salebabu in the Talaud Islands in Indonesia where it occurs in forest habitats. It is morphologically similar to the white-bellied mosaic-tailed rat and was at one time considered to be a subspecies but is now recognised as a distinct species. The short-tailed mosaic-tailed rat is also present on the islands and the shorter tail of that species means that it is likely to be mainly terrestrial whereas M. talaudium is largely arboreal.
