Vicuna

Vicuna

Huari, Vicugna, Vicuña, Wik'uña , Vicuña

Kingdom
Phylum
Subphylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Vicugna vicugna
Population size
347,273
Life Span
20-25 yrs
Top speed
45 km/h
Weight
35-65 kg
Height
75-85 cm
Length
1.5-1.6 m

The vicuña (Lama vicugna ) or vicuna (both, very rarely spelled vicugna, its former genus name) is one of the two wild South American camelids, which live in the high alpine areas of the Andes, the other being the guanaco, which lives at lower elevations. Vicuñas are relatives of the llama, and are now believed to be the wild ancestor of domesticated alpacas, which are raised for their coats. Vicuñas produce small amounts of extremely fine wool, which is very expensive because the animal can only be shorn every three years and has to be caught from the wild. When knitted together, the product of the vicuña's wool is very soft and warm. The Inca valued vicuñas highly for their wool, and it was against the law for anyone but royalty to wear vicuña garments; today, the vicuña is the national animal of Peru and appears on the Peruvian coat of arms.

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Both under the rule of the Inca and today, vicuñas have been protected by law, but they were heavily hunted in the intervening period. At the time they were declared endangered in 1974, only about 6,000 animals were left. Today, the vicuña population has recovered to about 350,000, and although conservation organizations have reduced its level of threat classification, they still call for active conservation programs to protect populations from poaching, habitat loss, and other threats.

Previously the vicuña was thought not to have been domesticated, and the llama and the alpaca were both regarded as descendants of the closely related guanaco. But DNA research published in 2001 has shown the alpaca may well have vicuña parentage. Today, the vicuña is mainly wild, but the local people still perform special rituals with these creatures, including a fertility rite.

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Di

Diurnal

He

Herbivore

Gr

Graminivore

Te

Terrestrial

Cu

Cursorial

Co

Congregatory

Vi

Viviparous

Pr

Precocial

Gr

Grazing

Te

Territorial

Po

Polygyny

So

Social

He

Herding

No

Not a migrant

V

starts with

Appearance

The Vicuña is the smallest member of the family of camelids and is regarded as the alpaca's wild ancestor. It looks endearing, with its large, forward-facing eyes and small, wedge-shaped head with sharply triangular ears. The color of the head varies from reddish-brown to yellow, and its neck is pale orange. Its chest is covered with a silky white mane, but the fur of the rest of its body is soft and of the same length. It has a pale brown back and its underside and the inner parts of its flanks are dirty white.

Distribution

Geography

Vicuñas occur in the Andes in southern Peru, north-western Argentina, western Bolivia, and northern Chile. They live in mountainous areas, with cold-dry weather. Their habitat is dominated by xerophytic vegetation and large areas of bare ground with semi-arid rolling grasslands, marshes, and plains known as “antiplano” or “puna”. Vicunas are found in areas where water is available for them to drink on a daily basis.

Vicuna habitat map

Climate zones

Vicuna habitat map
Vicuna
Public Domain Dedication (CC0)

Habits and Lifestyle

Vicuñas are shy and alert animals that run away very rapidly. When they sense danger, they make a clear whistling noise. The dominant male warns the herd with its alarm call and then positions himself between the threat and his herd. A single dominant male is the leader of a group of juveniles and females. He decides the range of the herd's territory and its membership and drives other male vicuñas away from his group. Family groups are closed, excluding non-member males and sometimes even preventing young female animals from joining. A family group usually numbers 6-10 individuals, according to food availability in its territory. Vicuñas have a feeding territory as well as a separate territory for sleeping. They are diurnal animals, and at night go up to their sleeping territory at higher altitudes. Adults that do not lead a herd either become solitary or join a large herd of 30 to 150 individuals.

Seasonal behavior

Diet and Nutrition

Vicuñas are herbivorous (graminivorous) animals. They only, eat low grasses which grow in clumps on the ground

Mating Habits

MATING BEHAVIOR
REPRODUCTION SEASON
March-April
PREGNANCY DURATION
330-350 days
BABY CARRYING
1 fawn
INDEPENDENT AGE
12-18 months
BABY NAME
fawn, cria

Vicuñas are polygynous, the dominant male mating with all mature females from his herd. The mating season begins in March or April. The gestation period is 330 to 350 days, and a single fawn is born. A fawn can stand just 15 minutes after being born. It remains close beside its mother for 8 months or more, continuing to suckle until the age of 10 months and becoming independent at around 12 to 18 months of age. Young males join bachelor groups and young females join a sorority. Females are sexually mature at 2 years and some are still reproducing at 19 years.

Population

Population threats

Poaching takes place, the vicuña’s coat and products being smuggled in large amounts to Asia and Europe. Habitat loss due to over-grazing from domestic livestock or human activities, pollution of water sources and mining, is a further threat. Climate change may damage the delicate ecosystem where the vicuña lives. A recent potential threat, in the Andes as well as worldwide, is the breeding of a vicuña and alpaca hybrid (a pacovicuña) for commercial purposes.

Population number

According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the vicuña is 347,273 individuals, including estimates for specific regions: Argentina: 127,072 or 72,678 individuals; Bolivia: 62,869 individuals; Chile: 16,942 individuals; Ecuador: 2,683 individuals; Peru: 188,327 individuals. Vicuñas’ numbers are increasing today and they are classified as least concern (LC) on the list of threatened species.

Fun Facts for Kids

  • The vicuña has the honor to be pictured on the crest of the Peruvian flag.
  • The vicuña has good eyesight and quite good hearing but it has a poor sense of smell.
  • Given the DNA evidence, it is now generally thought that alpacas have descended from vicuñas thousands of years ago.
  • During the fighting, the male will usually spit at its opponent.
  • Vicuñas make a high soprano whistle as a warning call.
  • Vicuña babies will often graze while they are lying down.
  • The male vicuña feels most happy and at ease when surrounded by 5-15 females.
  • Vicuñas can live in the cold temperatures at night even though they have very thin wool. Their bodies can trap the sun's heat during the day in their skin to keep them warm during the night.

References

1. Vicuna Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicu%C3%B1a
2. Vicuna on The IUCN Red List site - http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22956/0

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