Chinchilla is used in fly tying in several effective ways. Synthetic rabbit zonker strips made from chinchilla provide a lighter, more mobile alternative to natural rabbit. These strips are easier to cast and quickly dispel water, allowing for repeated use. Chinchilla gray and white Dolly Llama flies serve as excellent sculpin imitations or streamers for trout. Additionally, chinchilla zonker flies are a popular choice among fly fishermen.
Chinchillas are crepuscular rodents native to the Andes mountains in South America, specifically in Bolivia, Peru, and Chile, though wild colonies are now only found in Chile. They live in high-elevation colonies called herds, and are part of the Chinchillidae family, which also includes viscachas and is related to the chinchilla rat.
Known for having the densest fur of any land mammal, chinchillas have about 20,000 hairs per square centimeter, with 50 hairs growing from each follicle. This dense fur, which was historically prized by the Chincha people of the Andes, made chinchillas a target for fur hunting by the late 19th century. Today, most chinchillas used in the fur industry are farm-raised. Domestic chinchillas, descended from the species Chinchilla lanigera, are sometimes kept as pets and are considered a type of pocket pet.
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