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Chinchillas are either of two species (Chinchilla chinchilla and Chinchilla lanigera) of rodents. They are most active at dawn and dusk. They are slightly larger and active than ground squirrels, and are found in the Andes mountains in South America. They live in colonies called "herds" at high elevations of up to Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1850: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value).. 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.

The chinchilla has the densest fur of all mammals that live on land. The chinchilla is named after the Chincha people of the Andes, who once wore its dense, velvet-like fur. By the end of the 19th century, chinchillas had become rare after being hunted for their soft fur. Most chinchillas currently used by the fur industry for clothing and other accessories are farm-raised. Domestic chinchillas come from C. lanigera are sometimes kept as pets.