Chinchilla[a] is a genus consisting of two species (Chinchilla chinchilla and Chinchilla lanigera)[4] of crepuscular rodents of the parvorder Caviomorpha, native to the Andes Mountains in South America.[5] They live in colonies called "herds" at high elevations up to 4,270 m (14,000 ft). Historically, chinchillas lived in an area that included parts of Bolivia, Peru and Chile, but today, colonies in the wild are known only in Chile.[6] Along with their relatives, viscachas, they make up the family Chinchillidae. They are also related to the chinchilla rat.