Crossword clues for viscacha
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Viscacha \Vis*ca"cha\, Viz-cacha \Viz-ca"cha\, n. [Sp.] (Zo["o]l.) A large burrowing South American rodent ( Lagostomus trichodactylus) allied to the chinchillas, but much larger. Its fur is soft and rather long, mottled gray above, white or yellowish white beneath. There is a white band across the muzzle, and a dark band on each cheek. It inhabits grassy plains, and is noted for its extensive burrows and for heaping up miscellaneous articles at the mouth of its burrows. Called also biscacha, bizcacha, vischacha, vishatscha.
Wiktionary
alt. Any of the several South American rodents, native to the Andes, of the genera ''Lagidium'' and ''Lagostomus'', within family Chinchillidae. n. Any of the several South American rodents, native to the Andes, of the genera ''Lagidium'' and ''Lagostomus'', within family Chinchillidae.
WordNet
n. gregarious burrowing rodent larger than the chinchillas [syn: chinchillon, Lagostomus maximus]
Wikipedia
Viscachas or vizcachas are rodents of two genera ( Lagidium and Lagostomus) in the family Chinchillidae. They are chinchillas, but look similar to rabbits, apart from their longer tails. The five extant species of viscacha are:
- The plains viscacha (Lagostomus maximus), a resident of the pampas of Argentina, is easily differentiated from other viscachas by black and gray mustache-like facial markings. This species lives colonially in warrens of 10 to over 100. It is very vocal and emits alarm calls. The plains viscacha can strip grassland used to graze livestock; this caused ranchers to consider the rodent a pest species.
- Lagidium ahuacaense is a newly described species of mountain viscacha from the Ecuadorian Andes.
- The northern viscacha (Lagidium peruanum) is native to the Peruvian Andes at elevations between the tree line and the snow line. It is dorsally gray or brown in color, with a bushy tail and long, furry ears. This species lives in large colonies separated into individual family units, like an apartment complex. It eats a wide range of plant matter, settling for almost anything it can find growing in the harsh, rocky environment.
- The southern viscacha (Lagidium viscacia), also called mountain viscacha, is similar to the northern viscacha, but its pelage is more red in color. It lives in similar habitat in the Andes.
- Wolffsohn's viscacha (Lagidium wolffsohni) are more rare than the other four viscachas.
vizcacha.jpg|A southern viscacha in the Sur Lipez desert, Bolivia
Usage examples of "viscacha".
With regard to the viscacha it is very interesting to note that these highly-sociable little animals not only live peaceably together in each village, but that whole villages visit each other at nights.
Surire Park was not the nature preserve of the woolly vicunas and viscachas he had read about.
Surire Park was not the nature preserve of the woolly vicunas and viscachas he had read about.
When the farmer destroys a viscacha-burrow, and buries the inhabitants under a heap of earth, other viscachas-- we are told by Hudson--"come from a distance to dig out those that are buried alive" (l.