chinchilla

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The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition

chinchilla

chinchilla , small burrowing rodent of South America. It lives in colonies at high altitudes (up to 15,000 ft/4,270 m) in the Andes of Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. One of the costliest of all furs, its soft gray pelt has been valued since the days of the Inca. The wild chinchilla was nearly exterminated before protective laws were passed. At one time over 200,000 pelts were exported from Chile. Wild chinchilla coats have cost as much as $100,000. Chinchillas are now raised on farms in South America and the United States, and this has resulted in lower prices for the skins, which are still considered among the most valuable. Chinchillas are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Rodentia, family Chinchillidae.

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chinchilla

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Â© The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

chinchilla small S. Amer. rodent. — Sp. chinchilla, dim. of chinche (see prec.).

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T. F. HOAD. "chinchilla." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (July 10, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-chinchilla.html

T. F. HOAD. "chinchilla." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved July 10, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-chinchilla.html

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	Dumped chinchillas. Newspaper article from: Hastings & St. Leonards Observer (St. Leonards-on-Sea, England); 2/9/2008
	Abandoned chinchilla finds new home. Newspaper article from: Bexhill Observer (Bexhill, England); 2/19/2008
	Dumped chinchillas need a home. Newspaper article from: Sunderland Echo (Pennywell, England); 6/26/2008

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	Dumped chinchillas. Newspaper article from: Hastings & St. Leonards Observer (St. Leonards-on-Sea, England); 2/9/2008; 158 words ; A herd of chinchillas has been found abandoned in a St Leonards wood. Council rangers...of them and hope to find them new homes. Unfortunately one of the chinchillas had been attacked by a dog and had to be put down. A spokesman for... Read more
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