The word chinchilla means "little Chinta," the South American Indian tribe after which the animal is named.  The chinchilla is from South America, specifically in the countries of Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, and Chile in the higher altitudes of the Andes Mountains.

Their class is Mammalia (Mammals), their order Rodentia (Rodents), and their family is called the Chinchillidae (Chinchillas and Visachas).  Their scientific name is Chinchilla lanigera, which means long-tailed chinchilla.

Chinchillas are often described as resembling a cross between a squirrel and a small rabbit. Chinchillas have large eyes, big ears, long whiskers and a round, chubby body with a bushy tail. Chinchillas use there front legs to manipulate food and often sit back on their haunches to feed, much like a rat.   Large hind feet means that it hops around like a small kangaroo.

Typically a chinchilla weighs between 600 and 800g, with females generally being larger and heavier than males.

Originally kept solely for their fur, Chinchillas have become more and more popular as a pet.  Their soft fur comes in a variety of colours, the natural being the standard grey.  The dense fur (with up to 30 hairs to each follicle), while attractive, has more than one practical use for the animal. It effectively insulates against the extreme cold in the Andes and, because the hairs pull out easily, serves as a built-in protection against would-be predators unable to firmly grasp the little animal.

Chins live a long time (considering there size) and can have a natural life span of up to 20 years