Vicuña
Vicugna vicugna
Conservation Status
Least ConcernMammalia · Artiodactyla · Camelidae
About
The vicuña or vicuna is one of the two wild South American camelids, which live in the high alpine areas of the Andes; the other camelid is 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 be shorn only 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.
Fun Fact
Vicuñas produce the finest animal fibre in the world — each hair is just 12 micrometres across — and the Inca considered their wool 'the fibre of the gods,' reserving it for royalty on pain of death.
Quick Facts
Habitat
High-altitude grasslands
Diet
Herbivore
Lifespan
15-20 years
Threats
- Overgrazing
- Agricultural Conversion