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 massive, forward-going through 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, however the fur of the rest of its body is soft and of the identical length. It has a pale brown back and its underside and the interior 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 three,200 meters, grazing on the brief, powerful vegetation of those 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 each day basis. The climate of its habitat is dry, and is sizzling during the day and cold at night.
Habits and Life-style
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, after which positions himself between the menace and his herd. A single dominant male is the leader of a bunch 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 teams are closed, excluding non-member males and typically even stopping younger feminine animals from joining. A household group normally numbers 6-10 people, based on 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 as much as their sleeping territory at higher altitudes. Adults that do not lead a herd either turn out to be solitary, or they be part of a big herd of 30 to 150 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 quarter-hour after being born. It remains shut beside its mom for eight months or more, persevering with to suckle until the age of 10 months and becoming independent at round 12 to 18 months of age. Young males be a part of bachelor teams and younger females join a sorority. Females are sexually mature at 2 years and some are nonetheless reproducing at 19 years.
Inhabitants threats
Poaching takes place, the vicuña’s coat and products being smuggled in large quantities to Asia and Europe. Habitat loss due to over-grazing from domestic livestock or human activities, such air pollution of water sources and mining, is an additional threat. Climate change might damage the delicate ecosystem where the vicuña lives. A recent potential risk, in the Andes as well as worldwide, is the breeding of a vicuña and alpaca hybrid (a pacovicuña) for commercial purposes.
Population number
In line with the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the vicuña is 347,273 people, including estimates for particular areas: Argentina: 127,072 or 72,678 individuals; Bolivia: 62,869 individuals; Chile: sixteen,942 people; Euador: 2,683 individuals; Peru: 188,327 individuals. Vicuñas’ numbers are increasing in the present day and they are labeled as least concern (LC) on the list of threatened species.
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