The guanaco (Lama guanicoe) is a camelid native to South America. Described as an elegant animal, with a long, slender neck and fine legs by Charles Darwin, the guanaco is the biggest wild camelid family member in South America and is thought to be the domestic llama's ancestor.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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FolivoreIn zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
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GraminivoreIn zoology, a graminivore (not to be confused with a granivore) is an herbivorous animal that feeds primarily on grass. Graminivory is a form of g...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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CursorialA cursorial organism is one that is adapted specifically to run. An animal can be considered cursorial if it has the ability to run fast (e.g. chee...
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ZoochoryZoochory animals are those that can disperse plant seeds in several ways. Seeds can be transported on the outside of vertebrate animals (mostly mam...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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HerdingA herd is a social grouping of certain animals of the same species, either wild or domestic. The form of collective animal behavior associated with...
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Altitudinal MigrantAltitudinal migration is a short-distance animal migration from lower altitudes to higher altitudes and back. Altitudinal migrants change their ele...
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Fast AnimalsThe color of guanacos varies very little (unlike the domestic llama), ranging from light brown to dark cinnamon and shading to white underneath. They have grey faces and small, straight ears. Guanacos' eyes are on the sides of their head, allowing them to look all around for threats. Their ears are erect and straight, giving them a curious and attentive look. Guanacos have thick skin on their necks, a trait also found in their domestic counterparts, the llama, and their relatives, the wild vicuna and domesticated alpaca. This protects their necks from predator attacks. Like other camelids, guanacos walk on enlarged sole pads, only the tips of their hooves touching the ground. These pads are moveable, helping to provide a grip on gravelly and rocky terrain.
Guanacos are native to the Andean mountains of South America. They can live at elevations from sea level to over 4,500 meters. They are found in high-mountain regions of Peru, Bolivia, and Chile as well as in Patagonian and Tierra del Fuego grassland in Argentina and Chile. In addition, there is a small introduced population of Guanacos on the Falkland Islands. They prefer semi-arid and arid habitats, including desert grassland, shrubland, savanna, and sometimes forest. Some populations are sedentary, while others make seasonal migrations, sometimes moving to lower altitudes in order to avoid drought or snow cover.
Guanacos have a reasonably flexible social system, with populations being either migratory or sedentary, depending on the availability of forage. During the mating season, they are found in three main social units: family groups, groups of males, and associations of males that are solitary. A territorial adult male heads each family group and contains a varying number of young and adult females. Aside from family groups, the non-breeding, non-territorial adult and juvenile males form groups between 3 and 60 males, and forage in separate male-group zones. The mature males that have territories but do not have females are known as solitary males and may form associations numbering about 3. Guanacos make a range of vocalizations to convey information and negotiate social roles. Notable among them are alarm calls, used to warn other members of the group about potential predators, and clicking sounds, used in combat between males.
The guanaco is herbivorous and eats mainly grasses and shrubs, but also lichens, succulent plants, and cacti when other food is scarce.
Guanacos are polygynous animals and only the dominant male of any herd is able to mate with the females. This is why there are such fierce battles among males to lead a group of adult females. Mating occurs from November to February. Gestation lasts for 11.5 months, with a single offspring born to each mating female every year. The young, known as chulengos are precocial, able to stand as soon as 5 to 76 minutes after being born. Chulengos have a behavior of following the mother, rather than hiding; as a way of avoiding predation in open habitats. Due to the need to grow quickly, the chulengos begin to graze when just a few weeks old, foraging almost exclusively by 8 months old when weaning occurs. They remain with their group until they are about 11 to 15 months old, at which time the adult male usually forces them out. Female guanacos achieve reproductive maturity at the age of 2 years old and mate from the age of 3. Males become reproductively mature from 2 to 4 years of age.
Major threats to guanacos include overhunting, for meat, skins, and wool, and also poaching, habitat degradation, isolation, and fragmentation of populations as a result of the development and erection of barbed wire fences. Drought and overgrazing, possibly due to climate change, are further threats to this animal's habitat. Sheep breeders will often kill guanacos, viewing them as competitors with sheep as well as possible transmitters of disease, although it could be that diseases from domestic livestock are more likely to threaten guanacos.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population number of the guanaco is between 1,500,000-2,200,000 individuals with the estimated number of adults between 1,000,000-1,500,000 individuals. The population number of this species in specific regions includes Peru: 3,000 individuals; Bolivia: 150-200 individuals; Paraguay: 20-100 individuals; Chile: 270,000-299,000 individuals; Argentina: 1,225,000-1,890,000 individuals. Currently, the guanaco is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, and its numbers today are increasing.
Throughout its distribution, a guanaco plays an important role in maintaining ecosystem function. It disperses seeds in its feces, controls the growth of vegetation by browsing and grazing, and is a food source for its natural predators.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...