Vicuna

A vicuña is a small camelid that lives in the high alpine areas of the Andes in South America.

It is related to the llama, the guanaco, and the alpaca, and it is the wild ancestor of the alpaca.

Vicuñas have a long, fine, soft, and lustrous coat that varies in color from light cinnamon to pale white, with long white fleece on the throat, chest, and lower flanks.

They have a short head, long ears, and a slender body.

They are about 90 cm (36 inches) tall at the shoulder and weigh about 50 kg (110 pounds).

Vicuñas are herbivorous and graze on low grasses.

They live in small groups of females and one male, who defends his territory from other males.

They communicate with each other by whistling and use communal dung heaps to mark their boundaries.

Vicuñas are protected by law and are considered endangered.

Their wool is very valuable and can only be shorn every three years.

Vicuñas are also the national animal of Peru and appear on its coat of arms.