Guanaco

The guanaco (/ɡwɑːˈnɑːkoʊ/ gwah-NAH-koh; Lama guanicoe) is a camelid that lives in South America. It looks a lot like its close relative, the llama, but it is a wild animal, not a pet or farm animal. Guanacos are very good at surviving in tough places with little water and food.

There are two main kinds of wild South American camelids, and the guanaco is one of them. The other is the vicuña, which lives in even higher and colder places. Guanacos are important because they help scientists learn about the natural world and how animals adapt to live in hard environments.

Etymology

The guanaco's name comes from the Quechua word wanaku. Baby guanacos are called chulengos or "guanaquitos".

Characteristics

Guanacos are medium-sized animals. They stand between about 1 meter and 1.3 meters tall at the shoulder and weigh between 90 and 140 kilograms. They are one of the larger wild land animals in South America. Their fur is usually brown, with a lighter shade underneath. They also have grey faces and small ears.

Guanacos eat many types of plants like grasses, shrubs, herbs, lichens, and flowers. They have special blood that helps them live in high areas with less oxygen. Their fur is soft and warm, which makes it useful for making clothing.

Subspecies

The guanaco has two main types. One type, Lama guanicoe guanicoe, lives in the north. The other type, Lama guanicoe cacsilensis, lives in the south.

Population and distribution

Guanacos live in grassy plains, scrublands, and mountains in South America. You can find them in Peru, Bolivia, and Chile, as well as in Patagonia. There is a small group in Paraguay. In Argentina, they are more common in Patagonia and Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. These areas have fewer animals eating the same food, so guanacos do better there.

As of 2016, there are about 1.5 to 2 million guanacos. Most live in Argentina, with smaller numbers in Chile, Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay. A few guanacos were taken to Staats Island in the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) by a man named John Hamilton, and there are around 400 there today. In Torres del Paine National Park, the number of guanacos grew from 175 in 1975 to 3,000 in 1993.

Guanacos live in groups with females, their babies, and one male leader. Younger males stay together in their own groups. These groups usually stay small, but the groups of younger males can have up to 50 animals. Guanacos can run very fast—up to 56 kilometers an hour—and they are great swimmers. They can live for about 20 to 25 years.

In Bolivia, guanacos face problems because plants are growing over their homes. Some guanacos live in the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth. They survive by eating cacti and lichens that collect water from fog that rolls in from the ocean.

Ecology

The guanaco is active during the day and lives in small groups with one male and several females and their babies. If the male senses danger, he warns the group by making loud noises. Guanacos can run very fast—up to 64 kilometers per hour—to escape threats. This speed helps them survive because they cannot hide easily in the open grasslands where they live.

Guanacos face threats from animals like pumas and foxes. When guanacos feel threatened, they make a loud noise to alert their group. The male usually stays close to help protect everyone.

During the months of December to February, males compete to show who is strongest to have the right to mate. About eleven and a half months later, a baby guanaco, called a chulengo, is born. These babies can walk right away.

Conservation

Guanacos are safe in southern Argentina and Chile. But some get stuck on fences and cannot escape. Young guanacos get caught more often than older ones. This happens more on fences for sheep than on taller fences for cows. Most guanacos get stuck on their legs when they try to jump over a fence.

Captivity and domestication

About 300 guanacos live in zoos in the United States, and around 200 are in private herds. Scientists discovered that guanacos are the wild ancestors of the domesticated llama. They also found that llamas mixed with alpacas, which come from the wild vicuña.

Long ago, the Mapuche people of Mocha Island in southern Chile tamed guanacos, creating an animal called the chilihueque. They raised these animals for their wool and to help pull a plough. This animal disappeared in the 1600s and was replaced by sheep and other animals from far away, known as the Old World.