Very little study has been done on A. boliviensis. While futher study is warranted, it has been suggested that due to their diet of leaves, buds, and bark, these animals will prove difficult to trap using standard trapping techniques. (Glanz, 1990)
Nothing is known about communication and perception in this species. Like other rodents, they are likely to use olfaction extensively in communication and perception.
Communication Channels: chemical
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Bolivian chinchilla rats are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN red list of threatened species. Data on populations and ecological requirements are extremely limited and they are also designated "data deficient."
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: critically endangered
There are no known adverse effects of Bolivian chinchilla rats on humans.
Being very much like chinchilla fur, Abrocoma fur is sold at market for a small profit.
Positive Impacts: body parts are source of valuable material
There is nothing known about the ecosystem role of this species.
It is not known with certainty what A. boliviensis eats, but it is believed that this species eats many types of plant material. A similiar species, A. bennetti, eats mainly buds, shrubs, and bark.
Plant Foods: leaves; wood, bark, or stems
Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore , Lignivore)
Abrocoma boliviensis is restricted to Central Bolivia.
Biogeographic Regions: neotropical (Native )
Bolivian chinchilla rats have been captured near the Comarapa river valley in the province of Manual M. Caballero. The area was rocky, with small shrubs. The elevation was approximatley 2500 m.
Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: mountains
Information on A. boliviensis is scarce. However, a Bennett's chinchilla rat, A. bennettii, lived for 2 years and 4 months in captivity.
So few A. boliviensis have been captured that it is difficult to get a meaningful species size average. There is one measurement of an individual being 174 mm in head and body length. The species has been recorded as being generally smaller than A. bennetti, which has a body length of 195 to 250 mm and weighs around 225 g for males and 300 g for females.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
While nothing is known about specific predators of A. boliviensis, Lycalopex culpaeus has been found to prey on A. bennetti.
Anti-predator Adaptations: cryptic
Nothing is known about the mating system of this species.
Nothing is known about reproduction in A. boliviensis. However, in a related species, A. cinera, the gestation period is approximatley 115 days and there are 1 or 2 young per litter. There is recorded variation in Abrocoma, as A. bennetti can have 4 to 6 per litter.
Breeding interval: Breeding intervals are not known in Bolivian chinchilla rats.
Breeding season: The breeding season of Bolivian chinchilla rats is not known.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous
There is nothing known about parental investment in this species. Like other mammals, females nourish and care for their young until they are weaned.
Parental Investment: pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female)
The Bolivian chinchilla rat (Abrocoma boliviensis) is a species of chinchilla rat in the family Abrocomidae.[2] It is found only in Manuel María Caballero Province, Bolivia. Its natural habitat is the rocky areas of cloud forests in Bolivia's interior.
The Bolivian chinchilla rat lives in the cloud forests of Bolivia, and may specialize in the rocky areas within the cloud forest. It is a herbivore, and lives in burrows. Young are born precocial after a relatively long gestation period.[1]
"Listed as Critically Endangered because its extent of occurrence is less than 100 km², all individuals are in a single location, and there is continuing decline in the extent and quality of its cloud forest habitat."
Major threats to the Bolivian chinchilla rat include the clearing of its cloud forest habitat for cattle pasture and habitat fragmentation. It was historically trapped for its fur.[1]
The Bolivian chinchilla rat (Abrocoma boliviensis) is a species of chinchilla rat in the family Abrocomidae. It is found only in Manuel María Caballero Province, Bolivia. Its natural habitat is the rocky areas of cloud forests in Bolivia's interior.
