The Cururo, an endemic rodent to Central Chile

The Cururo, Spalacopus cyanus, is a rodent endemic to Chile included in family Octodontidae, found from the Atacama province south to Biobío province and from sea level up to 3,400 m. Quite abundant in the Central Andes, a little patience and time is all that is needed to see their heads poking out of their caves from time to time. It was first described by Chilean naturalist, Father Juan Ignacio Molina back in 1782.

A small-bodied rodent at 10 cm long, barrel-shaped, small ears, little but not atrophied bluish eyes and short tail. Its forelimbs show large prehensile claws and its powerful incissors enable it to chew hard roots. Short, jet-black fur. Typically digs deep tunnels and galleries in vegetated terrain where it can obtain bulbs or edible roots. The cave entrances are given away by little soil mounds, and they are capable of colonising and digging extensive slopes or grasslands. Very sociable, lives in groups of 6-15 individuals. Each female litters one to three babies once or twice a year, they are totally dependent on their mother and their coat is the same colour as adults. When their galleries invade human settlements they can become a problem.

In times of drought they mostly remain underground and become nocturnal in habits. They rarely venture out of their galleries, but pop their heads out of them at sunrise. Shy and skittish in human presence, they´re not easily seen in broad daylight. They become a lot more active at dusk and never stray far from their cave entrances. They communicate through noises that resonate in the tunnels. When vegetation dwindles the colonies move out during the night.

They keep the entrances to the galeries clear of obstacles, throwing out twigs, stones or clumps that might obstruct them.