- Scientific name
- Vicugna vicugna
- Status
- Wild
- Height
- about 30-35 in (75-90 cm)
- Weight
- 77-143 lb (35-65 kg)
- Lifespan
- 15-20 years in the wild
- Gestation
- about 330-350 days
- Population
- about 450,000-500,000, recovered from ~6,000 in the 1960s
- Fiber
- The finest animal fiber, about 12-14 µm
- Main uses
- Protected wildlife; community live-shearing (chaccu)
- Temperament
- Wild, territorial family groups
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Origins
Wild ancestor of the alpaca; high Andes of Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile.
iNaturalist users have recorded 3,725 observations of this species.
Background
The vicuña or vicuna is a wild South American camelid which lives in high alpine areas of the Andes. It is a relative of the llama, the domesticated descendant of the guanaco, the only other still wild South American camelid.From Wikipedia — “Vicuña”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.