vicuña
vicuña, (Vicugna vicugna), smallest member of the camel family, Camelidae (order Artiodactyla). The vicuña is closely related to the guanaco (Lama guanicoe), llama (L. glama), and alpaca (Vicugna pacos)—all of which are known collectively as lamoids—and it is the alpaca’s wild ancestor. Most vicuñas inhabit Peru, with smaller numbers found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, and Argentina. The subspecies V. vicugna mensalis inhabits the wetter habitats in the northern part of the vicuña’s range, whereas the subspecies V. vicugna vicugna lives in drier regions located in the southern part.
The vicuña is covered with a remarkably long, fine, soft, and lustrous coat that varies in colour from light cinnamon to a pale white, with long white fleece hanging from the lower flanks and the base of the neck. The annual yield of fleece sheared from domesticated vicuñas shows a wide range of from 85 to 550 grams (3 to 20 ounces) per animal. Vicuña fibre is strong and resilient, but it is highly sensitive to chemicals and is generally used in its natural colour. The costly fibre is made into high-priced coats, dressing gowns, and shawls. The vicuña’s dense silky fleece, once reserved for the Incan nobility, provides excellent insulation against the temperature fluctuations the animal encounters in its natural habitat: semiarid grasslands in the central Andes at altitudes of 3,600–4,800 metres (12,000–16,000 feet).
A swift, graceful animal, the vicuña is the smallest of the camelids, with a shoulder height of about 90 cm (36 inches) and a weight of about 50 kg (110 pounds). When in danger, vicuñas emit a high, clear whistle. Vision and hearing are more highly developed than their sense of smell. Vicuñas are hunted by pumas (Puma concolor); culpeos, or Andean foxes (Lycalopex culpaeus); and people, who also raise them as livestock.
Like guanacos, vicuñas are wild, with temperaments that preclude domestication. The animals graze on low grasses and ruminate while resting. They travel in small bands of females, usually led by a male who acts as lookout and defends his territory against intruders. Vicuñas use communal dung heaps to mark their territorial boundaries. They spit frequently and noisily, like all lamoids. A single young, born in February or March about 11 months after the parents have mated, remains close to the mother for at least 10 months. The life expectancy is about 15 to 20 years.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified the vicuña as a species of least concern since 2008. Vicuñas have been hunted for centuries. The Inca rounded the animals up, sheared their wool, and then released them; they also killed some for meat. In Spanish colonial times, greater numbers of the animals were hunted and killed, and, though protective legislation was introduced in the 19th century, poaching continued to reduce their total numbers, which declined from a million in Incan times to only about 10,000 by the late 1960s. Subsequent conservation efforts have allowed vicuña populations to recover to more than 80,000 animals by the late 20th century and to more than 460,000 by 2020.