Vicuña - wikipedia Vicuña For other uses, see Vicuña ( disambiguation ). Vicuña Conservation status Least Concern ( IUCN 3.1 ) Scientific classification Kingdom : Animalia Phylum : Chordata Clade : Tetrapodomorpha Class : Mammalia Order : Artiodactyla Family : Camelidae Genus : Vicugna Species : V. vicugna Binomial name Vicugna vicugna ( Molina, 1782 ) Vicuña range The vicuña ( Vicugna vicugna ) or vicuna ( both / vɪˈkuːnjə /, very rarely spelled vicugna ) is one of the two wild South American camelids which live in the high alpine areas of the Andes, the other being the guanaco. It is a relative of the llama, and is 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 only be shorn 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 in the Peruvian coat of arms. Both under the rule of the Inca and today, vicuñas have been protected by law, but they were heavily hunted in the intervening period. At the time they were declared endangered in 1974, only about 6,000 animals were left. Today, the vicuña population has recovered to about 350,000, and although conservation organizations have reduced its level of threat classification, they still call for active conservation programs to protect populations from poaching, habitat loss, and other threats. Until recently, the vicuña was thought to not have been domesticated, and the llama and the alpaca were both regarded as descendants of the closely related guanaco. But recent DNA research has shown the alpaca may well have vicuña parentage. Today, the vicuña is mainly wild, but the local people still perform special rituals with these creatures, including a fertility rite. Contents 1 Description 2 Subspecies 3 Distribution and habitat 4 Behavior 5 Conservation 6 Vicuña wool 7 Gallery 8 References 9 External links Description The vicuña is considered more delicate and graceful than the guanaco, and smaller. A key distinguishing element of morphology is the better - developed incisor roots for the guanaco. The vicuña 's long, woolly coat is tawny brown on the back, whereas the hair on the throat and chest is white and quite long. The head is slightly shorter than the guanaco 's and the ears are slightly longer. The length of head and body ranges from 1.45 to 1.60 m ( about 5 ft ) ; shoulder height is from 75 to 85 cm ( around 3 ft ) ; its weight is from 35 to 65 kg ( under 150 lb ). To prevent poaching, a round - up is held every year, and all vicuñas with fur longer than 2.5 cm are shorn. Subspecies Vicugna vicugna vicugna Vicugna vicugna mensalis Distribution and habitat Vicuñas are native to the central Andes in South America, where found in Peru, northwestern Argentina, Bolivia, and northern Chile. A smaller, introduced population lives in central Ecuador. Vicuñas live at altitudes of 3,200 to 4,800 m ( 10,500 -- 15,700 ft ). They feed in daytime on the grassy plains of the Andes Mountains, but spend the nights on the slopes. In these areas, only nutrient - poor, tough, bunch grasses and Festuca grow. The sun 's rays are able to penetrate the thin atmosphere, producing relatively warm temperatures during the day ; however, the temperatures drop to freezing at night. The vicuña 's thick but soft coat is a special adaptation which traps layers of warm air close to its body, so it can tolerate freezing temperatures. Behavior Herd of vicuñas near Arequipa, Peru. The behavior of vicuñas is similar to that of the guanacos. They are very shy animals, and are easily aroused by intruders, due, among other things, to their extraordinary hearing. Like the guanacos, they frequently lick calcareous stones and rocks, which are rich in salt, and also drink salt water. Their diets consist mainly of low grasses which grow in clumps on the ground. Vicuñas live in family - based groups made up of a male, five to 15 females, and their young. Each group has its own territory of about 18 km, which can fluctuate depending on the availability of food. Mating usually occurs in March -- April, and after a gestation period of about 11 months, the female gives birth to a single fawn, which is nursed for about 10 months. The fawn becomes independent at about 12 to 18 months old. Young males form bachelor groups and the young females search for a sorority to join. This deters intraspecific competition and inbreeding. Conservation Vicuña, Chimborazo ( volcano ), Ecuador From the period of Spanish conquest to 1964, hunting of the vicuña was unrestricted, which reduced its numbers to only 6,000 in the 1960s. As a result, the species was declared endangered in 1974, and its status prohibited the trade of vicuña wool. In Peru, during 1964 -- 1966, the Servicio Forestal y de Caza in cooperation with the US Peace Corps, Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, and the National Agrarian University of La Molina established a nature conservatory for the vicuña called the Pampa Galeras -- Barbara D'Achille in Lucanas Province, Ayacucho. During that time, a game warden academy was held in Nazca, where eight men from Peru and six from Bolivia were trained to protect the vicuña from poaching. The estimated population in Peru increased from 6,000 to 75,000 with protection by game wardens. Currently, the community of Lucanas conducts a chaccu ( herding, capturing, and shearing ) on the reserve each year to harvest the wool, organized by the National Council for South American Camelids ( CONACS ). The wool is sold on the world market for over $300 per kg, to help support the community. In Bolivia, the Ulla Ulla National Reserve was founded in 1977 partly as a sanctuary for the species. Their numbers grew to 125,000 in Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia. Since this was a ready `` cash crop '' for community members, the countries relaxed regulations on vicuña wool in 1993, enabling its trade once again. While the population levels have recovered to a healthy level, poaching remains a constant threat, as do habitat loss and other threats. Consequently, the IUCN still supports active conservation programs to protect vicuñas, though they lowered their status to least concern. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has reclassified most populations as threatened, but still lists Ecuador 's population as endangered. Vicuña wool The wool is popular due to its warmth. Its properties come from the tiny scales on the hollow, air - filled fibres. It causes them to interlock and trap insulating air. Vicuñas have some of the finest fibers in the world, at a diameter of 12 μm. The fiber of cashmere goats is 14 to 19 μm, while angora rabbit is 8 to 12 μm and that of shahtoosh from the Tibetan antelope, or chiru, is from 9 to 12 μm. Since it is sensitive to chemical treatment, the wool is usually left in its natural color. The vicuña only produces about 0.5 kg ( 1.1 lb ) of wool a year, and gathering it requires a certain process. During the time of the Incas, vicuña wool was gathered by means of communal efforts called chacu, in which multitudes of people herded hundreds of thousands of vicuña into previously laid funnel traps. The animals were shorn and then released ; this was only done once every four years. The vicuña was believed to be the reincarnation of a beautiful young maiden who received a coat of pure gold once she consented to the advances of an old, ugly king. Because of this, it was against the law for anyone to kill a vicuña or wear its fleece, except for Inca royalty. At present, the Peruvian government has a labeling system that identifies all garments that have been created through a government - sanctioned chacu. This guarantees that the animal was captured, shorn alive, returned to the wild, and can not be shorn again for another two years. The program also ensures that a large portion of the profits return to the villagers. However, annually, up to 22,500 kg of vicuña wool are exported as a result of illegal activities. Because of this, some countries have banned the importation of the wool to save the animal. There is a limited but growing trend to commercially produce wool from vicuñas in captivity, with growing herds in the Chilean Andes. Biologist Cristian Bonacic has expressed his concern about the possibility of habitat damage and the transmission of disease in the farms. As of June 2007, prices for vicuña fabrics can range from US $1,800 to US $3,000 per yard. Vicuña wool can be used for apparel ( such as socks, sweaters, accessories, shawls, coats, and suits ) and home furnishings ( such as blankets and throws ). A vicuña wool scarf costs around US $1,500. A vicuña sport coat from the Italian tailoring house Kiton costs at least US $21,000. Gallery Vicuña in the coat of arms of Peru Comparison of alpaca, llama, and vicuna ( 1914 ) A vicuña on rocky terrain ( 2008 ) Vicuñas on road to El Tatio geysers, San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta Region, Chile ( 2011 ) Vicuña in Jujuy Province in the Argentine Altiplano ( 2011 ) Vicuña fawn in the Atacama Desert ( 2014 ) Vicunas near the Salar De Uyuni ( 2017 ) References ^ Jump up to : Baldi, R. & Wheeler, J. ( 2008 ). `` Vicugna vicugna ''. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2008. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 3 January 2009. Jump up ^ The spelling vicuña is not even mentioned in some dictionaries, for example the Macmillan Dictionary Jump up ^ The spelling vicugna is so rare in English that it is not even mentioned in the Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia or any major dictionary, including the American Heritage Dictionary, Merriam - Webster Online Dictionary, Oxford Living Dictionaries, Random House Dictionary, Collins English Dictionary, and Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Jump up ^ Wilson, D.E. ; Reeder, D.M., eds. ( 2005 ). Mammal Species of the World : A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference ( 3rd ed. ). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8018 - 8221 - 0. OCLC 62265494. Jump up ^ Wheeler, Dr Jane ; Kadwell, Miranda ; Fernandez, Matilde ; Stanley, Helen F. ; Baldi, Ricardo ; Rosadio, Raul ; Bruford, Michael W. ( December 2001 ). `` Genetic analysis reveals the wild ancestors of the llama and the alpaca ''. Proceedings of the Royal Society B : Biological Sciences. 268 ( 1485 ) : 2575 -- 2584. doi : 10.1098 / rspb. 2001.1774. PMC 1088918. PMID 11749713. 0962 - 8452 ( Paper ), 1471 - 2954 ( Online ). Jump up ^ Hogan, C. Michael ( 7 December 2008 ). Strömberg, N., ed. `` Guanaco : Lama guanicoe ''. GlobalTwitcher.com. GlobalTwitcher. Archived from the original on 4 March 2011. Jump up ^ Schuhmacher, Eugen ( 1 January 1968 ). The last of the wild : on the track of rare animals. Collins. p. 304. Jump up ^ `` Species Profile : Vicuna ( Vicugna vicugna ) ''. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2009. Jump up ^ Roberson, Mary - Russell ( January -- February 2008 ). `` Discovering South America 's Camels ''. Smithsonian Zoogoer. National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA : Friends of the National Zoo. Archived from the original on 21 March 2008. Retrieved 16 May 2010. CS1 maint : Date format ( link ) Jump up ^ Bonacic, Cristian ; Gimpel, Jessica ( 2003 - 01 - 01 ). Lemons, John ; Victor, Reginald ; Schaffer, Daniel, eds. Sustainable Use of the Vicuña : A Critical Analysis and the MACS Project. Springer US. p. 348. doi : 10.1007 / 978 - 1 - 4615 - 0375 - 0_24. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4613 - 5045 - 3. Jump up ^ Coggins, David ( 20 September 2013 ). `` Why Does a Vicuña Jacket Cost $21,000 ? ''. Wall Street Journal. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to : Vicugna vicugna ( category ) Wikispecies has information related to Vicugna vicugna Viva Vicuña, documentary film about Vicuñas in the Andes. Light & Shadow. `` The Vicuna : the precious treasure of the Andes ''. Alpaca Fiber News. Archived from the original on 2009 - 10 - 21. Bayly Letts, Andres ; Pasquel Rodríguez, Enrique ( Summer 2006 ). `` Privaticemos las vicuñas : Cómo Eliminar el Peligro de Extinción y Aprovechar su Potencial Económico '' ( Privatize the vicunas : How to Eliminate the Danger of Extinction and Take Advantage of its Economic Potential ) ( PDF ). Revista de Economía y Derecho ( in Spanish ). Sociedad de Economía y Derecho UPC. 3 ( 9 ) : 69 -- 80. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 24 March 2009. Camelids Afro - Asiatic Camelids Bactrian Camel Dromedary Wild Bactrian camel South American Camelids Alpaca Chilihueque Guanaco Llama Vicuña Hybrid Cama Bukht Huarizo Fibers Natural Plant Abacá Bagasse Bamboo Coir Cotton Fique Flax Linen Hemp Jute Kapok Kenaf Piña Pine Raffia Ramie Rattan Sisal Wood Animal Alpaca Angora Byssus Camel hair Cashmere Catgut Chiengora Guanaco Hair Llama Mohair Pashmina Qiviut Rabbit Silk Tendon Spider silk Wool Vicuña Yak Mineral Asbestos Man - made Regenerated Art silk Semi-synthetic Acetate Diacetate Lyocell Modal Rayon Triacetate Synthetic Mineral Glass Carbon Tenax Basalt Metallic Polymer Acrylic Aramid Twaron Kevlar Technora Nomex Microfiber Modacrylic Nylon Olefin Polyester Polyethylene Dyneema Spectra Spandex Vinylon Vinyon Zylon Commons Animals portal Mammals portal Biology portal Argentina portal Peru portal Bolivia portal Chile portal South America portal Taxon identifiers Wikidata : Q167797 Wikispecies : Vicugna vicugna ADW : Vicugna_vicugna ARKive : vicugna - vicugna EoL : 309016 Fossilworks : 145836 GBIF : 5220192 iNaturalist : 42236 IRMNG : 10861866 ITIS : 625031 IUCN : 22956 MSW : 14200122 NBN : NHMSYS0000377321 NCBI : 9843 Species+ : 3436 TSA : 18559 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title= Vicuña&oldid = 864903188 '' Categories : IUCN Red List least concern species Camelids Mammals of the Andes Mammals of Argentina Mammals of Bolivia Mammals of Chile Mammals of Peru Animals by common name Animal hair products Andean studies Mammals described in 1782 Hidden categories : CS1 maint : Date format Use dmy dates from May 2011 Articles with ' species ' microformats CS1 Spanish - language sources ( es ) Taxonbar pages without Wikidata taxon IDs Taxonbars with automatically added original combinations Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikimedia Commons Wikispecies Asturianu Azərbaycanca تۆرکجه Беларуская Български Brezhoneg Català Cebuano Čeština Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Gaeilge Galego 한국어 Ido Bahasa Indonesia Interlingua Italiano עברית ქართული Kaszëbsczi Қазақша Latviešu Lëtzebuergesch Lietuvių Magyar Македонски മലയാളം Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Олык марий Polski Português Română Runa Simi Русский Scots Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska தமிழ் ไทย Türkçe Удмурт Українська Tiếng Việt Winaray 中文 54 more Edit links This page was last edited on 20 October 2018, at 08 : 38 ( UTC ). 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Question: it is a member of camel family valued for its woolly fleece
Answer: vicuña