Although the short-tailed chinchilla used to be found in Chile, Argentina, Peru, and Bolivia, the geographical distribution of the species has since shifted.

Today, the species remains extant in the Andes mountains of northern Chile, but small populations have been found in southern Bolivia.

Commercial hunting of short-tailed chinchillas for fur began in 1828 in Chile, leading to an increased demand in Europe and the United States.

[5] Despite the species' rediscovery in the wild in 1953, the population of short-tailed chinchillas has continued to decline and has been categorized as endangered.

Numerous threats to short-tailed chinchillas exist, including illegal hunting, habitat loss, firewood harvesting, and mining.

The dense coat of chinchillas allows the species to survive in the cold temperatures of their habitat in the Andes mountains.

Since their coat is extremely thick, water is prevented from evaporating, which allows chinchillas to maintain body warmth.

[citation needed] Additionally, the fur is so dense, that fleas and parasites cannot penetrate through the hair and will often die of suffocation.

Short-tailed chinchillas have extremely long vibrissae, in comparison to their body size, measuring around 100 mm.

Short-tailed chinchillas have large eyes with vertical slit pupils, which allow them to have a clear, wide view at night.

Another prominent feature are the large ears of chinchillas which helps them hear faint sounds and listen for predators.

Although not much is known about short-tailed chinchilla behavior due to the shy nature of the species, they're known to be extremely intelligent creatures.

In the wild, chinchillas living in the Andes Mountains will roll in volcanic ash to coat their fur and prevent matting due to oils from their skin.

Owners of pet chinchillas often provide them with dust or sand baths to help distribute oils, clear any dirt, and keep their fur soft.

Chinchillas are social creatures, normally living in colonies that may range from several to a hundred individuals, in groups called herds.

Short-tailed chinchillas primarily live in self-dug burrows or crevices of rocky areas with shrubs and grasses nearby, usually mountainous grasslands.

[9]Historically, short-tailed chinchillas lived in the Andes mountains and were native to Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina.

In Bolivia, the chinchillas ranged from the La Paz, Oruro, and Potosi regions with the last wild specimens being captured by near Sabaya, and Caranga.

Today, the only recorded sightings of short-tailed chinchillas has been in the Andes Mountains of northern Chile, where they remain endemic.

Their range extends through the relatively barren areas of the Andes Mountains at an elevation of 9,800 to over 16,000 feet (3,000 to 5,000 meters).

Short-tailed chinchillas are herbivores and mainly feed on high-fiber vegetation specifically foliage, leaves, shrubs, seeds, nuts, grasses, herbs, flowers, and grains.

Short-tailed chinchillas acquire their drinking water through morning dew or from the flesh of various plants such as cacti.

[citation needed] Since chinchillas are so well-adapted to their environments, any long-term environmental change threatens the species' survival.

While hunting the species for their pelts, fur traders used dynamite to destroy their burrows and force the chinchillas out, which killed many in the process.

[4] The impact of these events has led to a 90% decrease in the short-tailed chinchilla population and caused them to go extinct in the three of the four countries where they were once found.

Commercial hunting began in 1829 and increased every year by about half a million skins, as fur and skin demand increased in the United States and Europe: "[t]he continuous and intense harvesting rate [...] was not sustainable and the number of chinchillas hunted declined until the resource was considered economically extinct by 1917."

Potential early-generation short-tailed and long-tailed chinchilla hybrids are considered absent from any wildlife trade for a long time, if not ever.

In the early 20th century, humans hunted chinchillas for their skins in great numbers which led to over 20 million individuals being killed.

As the fur trade of chinchillas became increasingly successful, people began to quit their jobs as miners and farmers to become hunters.

The 1910 treaty between Chile, Bolivia and Peru brought the first international efforts to ban the hunting and commercial harvesting of chinchillas.