Chinchilla rabbits are a group of three rabbit breeds that have been bred for a coat that resembles that of chinchillas.[1] Despite their name, they are not related to, and cannot interbreed with, chinchillas, a genus of rodent. Rabbits, in contrast, are lagomorphs. A mutation diluted the yellow pigment in the hairs to almost white, changing in this way the color of the fur of the wild type fur (agouti) into chinchilla.
There are three breeds of Chinchilla recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association. Other breeds may have recognized Chinchilla varieties (such as Dutch), but the three Chinchilla breeds each have only one variety.
- ^ "Chinchilla Rabbit – Get to Know the 3 Types of Chinchilla Rabbits". Archived from the original on 2015-02-07. Retrieved 2015-01-28.