My mum was/is a leading expert on Chinchilla lanigera (meeting George Mottershead as a result) and as a child, I remember it always drove her nuts that the zoo mistook them for viscacha, and the "terrible" husbandry in the small mammal house as it was often full of mice.
My mum was/is a leading expert on Chinchilla lanigera (meeting George Mottershead as a result) and as a child, I remember it always drove her nuts that the zoo mistook them for viscacha, and the "terrible" husbandry in the small mammal house as it was often full of mice.
So, you (via your mother) contend that this photograph is of a Long-tailed Chinchilla and not a Southern Mountain Viscacha? Got to say, it looks a lot more like a Mountain Viscacha to my eyes - having seen Northern Mountain Viscacha myself - than it does a Long-tailed Chinchilla.
I haven't got a dog in this fight (as the old saying goes).
I'm following the zoo's labelling, as Zootierliste does (although the animal(s) in the Ztl photos are much less hairy than this one). I may be wrong, but perhaps not very wrong - and I will happily correct captions etc if necessary.
No, you're reading my message incorrectly, I was making an historical reference/comment, based on the inhabitants of the Small Mammal House (which a lot of people on the forum will be too young to remember). This is clearly a viscacha.
OK.
I don't ever recall seeing mice in the Small Mammal House, I would have thought there were usually enough small carnivores kept there to prevent a massive infestation (over the years, American badger, fennec, genets, grison, various mongooses, small clawed otters etc). But I'm sure that any mice which got in with the echidnas, squirrels and viscachas (mountain or common) would have found a pretty good berth.
OK.
I don't ever recall seeing mice in the Small Mammal House, I would have thought there were usually enough small carnivores kept there to prevent a massive infestation (over the years, American badger, fennec, genets, grison, various mongooses, small clawed otters etc).
There was often a mouse problem, and especially it seemed with the chinchilla exhibits. This, of course, is a major problem as chinchillas are highly susceptible to some of the diseases that mice carry.
I recall the zoo receiving two, possibly three sets of chinchilla to exhibit in that house, none of which lasted long. Aside from the mice, they had poor quality hay, and a poor diet.
Anyway, sorry to go off on a tangent, but it's interesting what memories an old photo like this can trigger so thanks for posting!
