Chinchillas are
crepuscular (most active around dawn and dusk)
rodents, slightly larger and more robust than
ground squirrels. They are native to the
Andes mountains in
South America and live in colonies called "
herds" at high elevations up to . Historically, chinchillas lived in an area that included parts of Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, and Chile, but today colonies in the wild are known only in Chile. Along with their relatives,
viscachas, they make up the
family Chinchillidae.