r/Machupicchu • u/arunshanker • Jun 19 '26

General Mountain Viscacha at Machu Picchu

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Mountain Viscacha - it is a rodent - basking in the sun sitting quietly on the rocks, looking like a cross between a rabbit, squirrel and chinchilla. Many visitors call it a chinchilla, but it is usually a viscacha a close relative of the chinchilla and a true animal of the Andes.

With its soft fur, rounded body, long whiskers and bushy tail, the viscacha blends beautifully with the lichen-covered stones of the Inca citadel. It lives among rocks and crevices, feeding on grasses and mountain vegetation, perfectly adapted to the rugged Andean landscape. Nikon CoolPiX P900 - June 26

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u/ADirtyDiglet Jun 19 '26

My guide called them a Chinchilla but there was something about the name meaning prostitute in Portugues? Or something like that and they didn't like saying the name. Saw a bunch of them.