small rodent with soft pearly gray fur; native to the Andes but bred in captivity for fur a thick twilled fabric of wool and cotton the expensive silvery gray fur of the chinchilla
Small South American rodent (genus Chinchilla, family Chinchillidae) long valued for its extremely fine-textured fur. Chinchillas look like long-tailed, small-eared rabbits. They are about 14 in. (35 cm) long, including the tufted tail. The soft fur is gray with dusky overtones; a black streak runs the length of the tail, above and below. Chinchillas live in loose communities in arid, rocky regions of the Chilean and Bolivian Andes, in burrows or rock crevices. They eat seeds, fruit, grain, herbs, and moss. Once hunted almost to extinction, they are still scarce in the wild. They are raised commercially; almost all animals in captivity have descended from a few animals introduced into the U.S. in 1923
Fibre: Cotton or wool, and some manmade and synthetics Weave: Sateen or twill construction with extra fillings for long floats Characteristics: Does not resemble true chinchilla fur Has small nubs on the surface of the fabric which are made by the chincilla machine It attacks the face and causes the long floats to be worked into nubs and balls Cotton warp is often used because it cannot show from either side Made in medium and heavy weights Very warm and cozy fabrics Takes its name from Chinchilla Spain where it was invented Uses: In cotton, used for baby's blankets and bunting bags In wool, for coats Dark shades in wool are most popular, particularly navy and black