AnAge entry for Chinchilla lanigera

Classification (HAGRID: 02500)

Taxonomy: Kingdom: Animalia
    Phylum: Chordata
        Class: Mammalia (Taxon entry)
            Order: Rodentia
                Family: Chinchillidae
                    Genus: Chinchilla
Species: Chinchilla lanigera
Common name: Long-tailed chinchilla
Synonyms: Chinchilla chincilla, Chinchilla velligera

Maximum longevity: 17.2 years (captivity)
Source: ref. 671
Sample size: Large
Data quality: Acceptable
Observations: It has been reported that these animals have bred at 15 years of age and some have lived for more than 20 years in captivity [0434], which is possible but unconfirmed. One male specimen was kept as a pet for 18 years and acquired when about 4 years of age, making it 22 years-old, which is a plausible anecdote (website feedback). Record longevity in captivity is 17.2 years [0671].

: No information is available on life history. Please contact us if you wish to suggest or contribute data.

[1104] Jenkins (2010), Diseases of geriatric Guinea pigs and chinchillas (PubMed)
[1032] McNab (2008), An analysis of the factors that influence the level and scaling of mammalian BMR (PubMed)
[0776] Seluanov et al. (2007), Telomerase activity coevolves with body mass not lifespan (PubMed)
[0671] Richard Weigl (2005), Longevity of Mammals in Captivity; from the Living Collections of the World
[0036] Savage et al. (2004), The predominance of quarter-power scaling in biology
[0610] Ernest (2003), Life history characteristics of placental non-volant mammals
[0434] Ronald Nowak (1999), Walker's Mammals of the World
[0290] McFadden et al. (1997), Suprathreshold measures of auditory function in the aging chinchilla (PubMed)
[0455] Virginia Hayssen et al. (1993), Asdell's Patterns of Mammalian Reproduction: A Compendium of Species-Specific Data
[0291] Bohne et al. (1990), Morphological correlates of aging in the chinchilla cochlea (PubMed)
[0680] Wootton (1987), The effects of body mass, phylogeny, habitat, and trophic level on mammalian age at first reproduction
[0292] Bhattacharyya and Dayal (1985), Age-related cochlear hair cell loss in the chinchilla (PubMed)