Vicuña

COMMON NAME: Vicuña
SIENTIFIC NAME: Vicugna vicugna


CLASS: Mammals
FAMILY: Camelidae
HABITAT: Plateau between 3.700 and 4.700 m
FOOD: Herbivore. They prefer short grasses and herbs and some succulents and rarely eat coarse grasses, although lichens.

REPRODUCTION: Gestation: 11 months.
Number of offspring: 1 calf.
Calf birth weight: 4.6k
Breastfeeding: 3-6 months.
Sexual maturity: 2 years.
Heat season: after labor


HEIGHT: 75-95 cm.
WEIGHT: 45-55 Kg
LENGTH: 155-165 cm
TAIL LENGTH: 15-20 cm
LONGEVITY: 15-20 years


EXPERIENCE AND OPINION

This animal similar to a llama attracted my attention because it is a camelidae and it hasn’t got hump. I think there were only two vicuñas in the zoo. As well, vicuñas produce small amounts of extremely fine wool, which is very expensive because the animal can only be shorn every 3 years. It’s also the only ungulate that has lower incisors as rodents.
I think vicuñas should be more popular.

By ALEJANDRO ROMÁN LÓPEZ