The Vicuña is the smallest member of the household of camelids and is considered the alpaca’s wild ancestor. It looks endearing, with its giant, forward-going through eyes and small, wedge-shaped head with sharply triangular ears. The colour of the head varies from reddish-brown to yellow, and its neck is pale orange. Its chest is covered with a silky white mane, however 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 internal parts of its flanks are soiled white.
The vicuña inhabits the Andes in southern Peru, north-western Argentina, western Bolivia, and northern Chile. It lives in mountainous areas above 3,200 meters, grazing on the brief, powerful vegetation of these semi-arid rolling grasslands, marshes and plains known as “antiplano” or “puna”. It inhabits areas the place water is available for it to drink on a daily basis. The climate of its habitat is dry, and is sizzling throughout the day and cold at night.
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 risk 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 different male vicuñas away from his group. Household groups are closed, excluding non-member males and typically even stopping younger female animals from joining. A household group often numbers 6-10 people, in line with food availability in its territory. Vicuñas have a feeding territory as well as a separate territory for sleeping. They’re diurnal animals, and at night go up to their sleeping territory at higher altitudes. Adults that don’t lead a herd either become solitary, or they be part of a large herd of 30 to one hundred fifty individuals.
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 stays shut beside its mother for eight months or more, continuing to suckle until the age of 10 months and becoming unbiased at round 12 to 18 months of age. Younger males be part of bachelor teams and young females be part of a sorority. Females are sexually mature at 2 years and some are nonetheless reproducing at 19 years.
Population threats
Poaching takes place, the vicuña’s coat and products being smuggled in giant quantities to Asia and Europe. Habitat loss as a result of over-grazing from home livestock or human activities, such pollution of water sources and mining, is an additional threat. Climate change could damage the fragile ecosystem where the vicuña lives. A latest potential menace, within the Andes as well as worldwide, is the breeding of a vicuña and alpaca hybrid (a pacovicuña) for commercial purposes.
Population number
Based on the IUCN Red List, the total inhabitants measurement of the vicuña is 347,273 individuals, together with estimates for particular regions: Argentina: 127,072 or seventy two,678 individuals; Bolivia: 62,869 individuals; Chile: 16,942 individuals; Europeanador: 2,683 people; Peru: 188,327 individuals. Vicuñas’ numbers are rising immediately and they are categorised as least concern (LC) on the list of threatened species.
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