Vicuña
📸 Photo by Mauro Lima on Unsplash
Graceful camelid of the high Andes, the vicuña browses sparse puna grasses above 3,500 m. Its ultra-soft fleece—once worth more than gold—almost doomed it, but strict protection let herds bounce back. Today it symbolizes Peru and stands guard over fragile mountain wetlands.
Technical factsheet
Type:Mammal
Habitat:Mountain
Diet:Herbivore
Continents:South America
Size:80–90 cm at the shoulder
Weight:35–50 kg
Activity:Diurnal
Social behavior:Small_group
Lifespan:15–20 years in the wild
Habitat: The Vicuña can be found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru