Ecuadorean Mountain Viscacha

Discovered on a single granite mountain in southern Ecuador, the Ecuadorean Mountain Viscacha is a medium-sized rodent with thick, woolly fur. This animal is recognizable by its gray-brown coat and a distinct black stripe running down the center of its back. It has creamy white underparts and a notably long tail, which is hairy and measures roughly 400 mm in length. Its face features long, dark brown whiskers above the mouth and thick brown whiskers above the eyes. Each of its four feet has small, curved claws and black pads, though the front feet are significantly shorter than the back ones. A single measured individual weighed 2.03 kg and had a head and body length of 403 mm.

Travellers can only find this species on Cerro El Ahuaca, an isolated peak near Cariamanga in Loja Province. It lives specifically around rocky surfaces at altitudes between 1,950 and 2,480 m. This habitat is an island of granite covering approximately 120 ha, surrounded by vegetation dominated by molasses grass. These rodents are herbivores that eat the local plants, leaving visible traces of their feeding across the mountain slopes. While they are not hunted and remain unknown to most local people, their survival is precarious because as few as several dozen individuals remain in the only known population.

Several factors jeopardize the future of these rare creatures. Frequent fires, started to maintain nearby crop fields, often burn out of control and destroy the viscacha's limited habitat on the mountain. Additionally, the animals must compete for food with grazing cattle brought into the area. Because no other suitable habitat exists nearby, except for a few small outcrops, the species relies entirely on the protection of this single, small mountain environment.