Chinchilla Believed to Be Extinct Since Time of Incans Found in Machu Picchu, Peru: Animal Likely Endangered

A species of chinchilla thought to be extinct for hundreds of years was recently discovered in the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu, Peru.

The Machu Picchu arboreal chinchilla (Cuscomys oblativa) was first learned of in 1912 when archaeologist Hiram Bingham found two skulls of the cat-sized creature in 400-year-old Incan pottery, Fox News Latino reports. The creature was thought to have been extinct since Francisco Pizarro first began taking over the Incan empire.

In 2009, however, Roberto Quispe, a park ranger, said he found a Machu Picchu arboreal chinchilla by the archaeological site.

"In conservation biology, this type of rediscovery is called the Lazarus effect," the team said in a press release, according to Mongabay. "Hard field work was conducted with the spectacular archaeological site as part of the landscape, on very steep hills, with slopes of up to 60 degrees of inclination, dominated by mountain forests, with leafy trees covered with mosses, lichens and other plants."

In 2012, a team of scientists began looking for the animal. They recently found it by an archaeological site on the Inca Trail, confirming that it is not extinct.

Still, due to the rarity of Machu Picchu arboreal chinchilla sightings, the creature is likely endangered. Gerardo Ceballos, who works for the Instituto de Ecología of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and headed the team, believes this is due to "its rarity and habitat destruction."

"Large tracks of native forests have been destroyed because of agriculture and cattle grazing ... in its extremely limited geographic range," he said.

There is some hope, however, as the chinchilla was discovered in a protected national park.

"Both the national park and the historic sanctuary are relatively well-managed," Ceballos said. "They have staff and some infrastructure. It seems that the federal government has become more interested in reducing deforestation in the national park and the sanctuary in recent years."

A new mammal, lizard and four new frogs have also been discovered in Machu Picchu.

"I am optimistic that the discovery of the [Machu Picchu arboreal chinchilla rat] and other new species will help to strengthen the protection of the native forests," Ceballos said.

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