It is hard to guess what a Plains viscacha weights. But we have the answer:
An adult Plains viscacha (Lagostomus maximus) on average weights 4.66 kg (10.27 lbs).
The Plains viscacha is from the family Chinchillidae (genus: Lagostomus). It is usually born with about 196 grams (0.43 lbs). They can live for up to 9.33 years. When reaching adult age, they grow up to 52.4 cm (1′ 9″). On average, Plains viscachas can have babies 1 times per year with a litter size of 1.
As a reference: An average human weights in at 62 kg (137 lbs) and reaches an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). Humans spend 280 days (40 weeks) in the womb of their mother and reach around 75 years of age.
The plains viscacha or plains vizcacha (Lagostomus maximus) is a species of viscacha, a rodent in the family Chinchillidae. It is the only living species within the genus Lagostomus. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay. The plains viscacha is the largest species in its family. They construct elaborate burrows that house successive colonies for decades.The plains viscacha should not be confused with the plains viscacha rat.
Animals of the same family as a Plains viscacha
We found other animals of the Chinchillidae family:
- Wolffsohn’s viscacha bringing 2.68 kilos (5.91 lbs) to the scale
- Long-tailed chinchilla with a weight of 480 grams
- Short-tailed chinchilla with a weight of 499 grams
- Northern viscacha bringing 1.22 kilos (2.69 lbs) to the scale
- Southern viscacha bringing 1.54 kilos (3.4 lbs) to the scale
- Short-tailed chinchilla with a weight of 500 grams
Animals with the same weight as a Plains viscacha
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Lagostomus maximus:
- Allen’s swamp monkey with a weight of 4.75 kilos (10.47 lbs)
- Pale-throated sloth with a weight of 4.33 kilos (9.55 lbs)
- Bicolored-spined porcupine with a weight of 4.49 kilos (9.9 lbs)
- Diana monkey with a weight of 4.36 kilos (9.61 lbs)
- Brown-throated sloth with a weight of 4 kilos (8.82 lbs)
- White-nosed coati with a weight of 4.58 kilos (10.1 lbs)
- L’Hoest’s monkey with a weight of 5.31 kilos (11.71 lbs)
- Royal antelope with a weight of 3.9 kilos (8.6 lbs)
- Gray fox with a weight of 3.83 kilos (8.44 lbs)
- Gray dorcopsis with a weight of 4.95 kilos (10.91 lbs)
Animals with the same size as a Plains viscacha
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Plains viscacha:
- Servaline genet with a size of 49.4 cm (1′ 8″)
- Pampas fox with a size of 61.9 cm (2′ 1″)
- Meller’s mongoose with a size of 46 cm (1′ 7″)
- Geoffroy’s cat with a size of 57.6 cm (1′ 11″)
- Agile gibbon with a size of 54.4 cm (1′ 10″)
- Verreaux’s sifaka with a size of 47.2 cm (1′ 7″)
- Red-legged pademelon with a size of 56.6 cm (1′ 11″)
- Sable with a size of 45.1 cm (1′ 6″)
- Cacomistle with a size of 42.5 cm (1′ 5″)
- Asian small-clawed otter with a size of 51.9 cm (1′ 9″)
Animals with the same litter size as a Plains viscacha
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (1) as a Plains viscacha:
- Alpine ibex
- Peters’s trumpet-eared bat
- Springbok
- Puku
- Red-rumped agouti
- Yellow-tailed woolly monkey
- Rufous horseshoe bat
- Whiskered bat
- Lesser mouse-tailed bat
- Seychelles fruit bat
Animals with the same life expectancy as a Plains viscacha
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a Plains viscacha:
- Greater bilby with an average maximal age of 10 years
- Long-footed potoroo with an average maximal age of 10 years
- Pallas’s long-tongued bat with an average maximal age of 10 years
- Dice’s cottontail with an average maximal age of 9 years
- Common dwarf mongoose with an average maximal age of 10.92 years
- Long-tailed porcupine with an average maximal age of 10.08 years
- Maned rat with an average maximal age of 7.5 years
- Red-tailed chipmunk with an average maximal age of 8 years
- Lesser short-nosed fruit bat with an average maximal age of 8 years
- Southern tamandua with an average maximal age of 9 years