This species is known only from the vicinity of the type locality near the Comarapa river valley in the province of Manuel M. Caballero, Santa Cruz department, Bolivia. Its currently known range is less than 100 km², although it may possibly range more widely. Individuals have been found in cloud forest at an elevation of 1,800 m above sea level. They tend to be associated with rocky areas, and some researchers have suggested that they may be specialised to this habitat type. Classified as Critically Endangered (CR B1ab(i,ii,iii)) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
This species appears to have been unaffected by the fur trade which targeted other species of chinchilla rat in the past. The main threat appears to be from habitat loss and degradation. Its range is divided by a road along which human colonisation is occurring. This, together with the clearance of cloud forest for cattle pasture, is fragmenting the species’ habitat.
This species is not known from any protected areas nor are there any targeted conservation actions in place. There is an urgent need to protect the distinct area of Comarapa. Further research is also needed in this area to try to find additional populations.
Very little is known about the ecology of this little-known rodent species. It is thought to live in burrows and have a vegetarian diet comprising many kinds of plant material. In common with other hystricognath rodents, it gives birth to precocial young – young that are relatively well-developed and mobile from the moment of birth – presumably after a lengthy gestation period. Chinchilla rats are so-named because of the similarity of their long, dense, soft fur to that of chinchillas. Fur colouration is silvery grey above and white or yellowish below. The Bolivian chinchilla rat has a rat-like body with a long pointed nose, large eyes and large rounded ears. The limbs are short. The forefeet have four digits and the hindfeet have five. Stiff hairs project over the claws of the three middle toes of the hind foot, forming combs that are probably used to remove parasites and/or dirt and groom. A. boliviensis is the smallest of the extant Abrocoma species and is distinguishable by their longer, hairier tails.
Species Co-Ordinator
Omar Freddy Osco Alanoca
I work with the Centro de Biodiversidad y Genética (C.B.G.), Colección Boliviana de Fauna (C.B.F.) and Alianza Gato Andino (A.G.A.) in Bolivia to study small mammal taxonomy and diet, the effects of habitat fragmentation on rodent communities and prey-predator relationships. In 2012, while conducting assessment work on small mammals, we captured two individuals Abrocoma cf. boliviensis in Polylepis subtusalvida patches. They were kept in the laboratory to make the first ever nutritional and behavioral observations. We also attempted to use radiotelemetry to study them in the wild but we had problems with the transmitters. I will continue to seek funding to continue this work to find out more about the ecology of this hardly known species.