View source for Guanaco

{{Short description|Species of mammal (camelid)}}
{{Other uses|Guanaco (disambiguation)}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Guanaco (Lama guanicoe) Leona Amarga.jpg
| image_caption = Torres del Paine, Chile
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Baldi, R.B. |author2=Acebes, P. |author3=Cuéllar, E. |author4=Funes, M. |author5=Hoces, D. |author6=Puig, S. |author7=Franklin, W.L. |date=2016 |title=''Lama guanicoe'' |volume=2016 |article-number=e.T11186A18540211 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T11186A18540211.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| status2 = CITES_A2 
| status2_system = CITES 
| status2_ref = <ref>{{Cite web|title=Appendices {{!}} CITES|url=https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php|access-date=2022-01-14|website=cites.org}}</ref>
| genus = Lama
| species = guanicoe
| authority = ([[Philipp Ludwig Statius Müller|Müller]], 1776)
| range_map = Lama guanicoe range map.png
| range_map_caption = Guanaco range
}}

The '''guanaco''' ({{IPAc-en|g|w|a:|"|n|a:|k|oU}} {{respell|gwah|NAH|koh}};<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Chambers Dictionary|publisher=Chambers|year=2003|isbn=0-550-10105-5|edition=9th|chapter=guanaco}}</ref> '''''Lama guanicoe''''') is a [[camelid]] native to [[South America]], closely related to the domesticated [[llama]]. Guanacos are one of two wild South American camelids; the other species is the [[vicuña]], which lives at higher elevations.

== Etymology ==
The guanaco gets its name from the [[Quechua language|Quechua]] word {{Lang|qu|wanaku}}. Young guanacos are called ''chulengos'' or "guanaquitos".<ref>
{{cite web |title=Species Profile: Guanaco |url=http://www.conservacionpatagonica.org/blog/2011/12/22/species-profile-guanacos/ |publisher=Concervación Patagonia
|date=2011-12-22 }}
</ref>

== Characteristics ==
[[File:Lama guanicoe 02 MWNH 820.jpg|thumb|Skull of a guanaco]]
Guanacos stand between {{cvt|1.0|and|1.3|m}} at the [[shoulder]], body length of {{cvt|2.1|to|2.2|m}},<ref name=stahl08>{{cite book |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-0-387-75228-0 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/handbooksouthame00silv/page/n135 121]–130 |editor1-first=Helaine |editor1-last=Silverman |editor2-last=Isbell |editor2-first=William |first=Peter W. |last=Stahl |title=Handbook of South American Archaeology |url=https://archive.org/details/handbooksouthame00silv |url-access=limited |chapter =Animal Domestication in South America | date = 4 April 2008}}</ref><ref name="SDZ"/><ref>[https://www.dimensions.guide/element/guanaco Animals>camelids guanaco] ''www.dimensions.guide'', Accessed 23 February 2021</ref> and weigh {{cvt|90|to|140|kg}}.<ref name=ADW>{{cite web |url=http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Lama_guanicoe/|title=Lama guanicoe|publisher=Animal Diversity Web|date=18 July 2016}}</ref> Their color varies very little (unlike the domestic [[llama]]), ranging from a light brown to dark cinnamon and shading to white underneath. Guanacos have grey faces and small, straight ears. The lifespan of a guanaco can be as long as 28 years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hoffman |first=Eva |title=Lama guanicoe (guanaco) |url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Lama_guanicoe/ |access-date=2022-12-20 |website=Animal Diversity Web |language=en}}</ref> 

Guanacos are one of the largest terrestrial [[mammal]]s native to South America today.<ref name="SDZ">[http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/guanaco San Diego Zoo's Animal Bytes].</ref> Other terrestrial mammalian [[megafauna]] weighing as much or more than the guanaco include the [[tapir]]s, the [[marsh deer]], the [[white-tailed deer]], the [[spectacled bear]], and the [[South American jaguar|jaguar]].{{cn|date=May 2024}}

Guanacos have thick skin on their necks, a trait also found in their domestic counterparts, the [[llama]], and their relatives, the wild [[vicuña]] and domesticated [[alpaca]]. This protects their necks from predator attacks. Bolivians use the neck skin of these animals to make [[shoe]]s, flattening and pounding the skin to be used for the soles. In Chile, hunting is allowed only in [[Tierra del Fuego]], where the only population not classified as endangered in the country resides. Between 2007 and 2012, 13,200 guanacos were legally hunted in Tierra del Fuego.<ref>Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero, 2012. Plan de Manejo para a población de guanacos en el área agropecuaria de Tierra del Fuego (Chile). Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero, Gobierno de Chile. Punta Arenas, 47pp.+Annexes.</ref>

=== Diet ===
Like all camels, Guanacos are herbivores, grazing on grasses, shrubs, herbs, lichens, fungi, cacti, and flowers.<ref name=":1" /> The food is swallowed with little chewing and first enters the forestomach to be digested finally after rumination. This process is similar to that of ruminants, to which camels are not closely related. The camels' digestive system is likely to have developed independently of ruminants, which is evidenced by the fact that the forestomachs are equipped with glands.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Bahamonde|first1=Nora|last2=Martin|first2=Susana I.|last3=Sbriller|first3=A.|date=1986|title=Diet of guanaco and red deer in Neuquen Province, Argentina.|journal=Journal of Range Management|volume=39|issue=1|pages=22–24|doi=10.2307/3899679|jstor=3899679|bibcode=1986JRMan..39...22B |hdl=10150/645455|s2cid=131871379|hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Fowler|first=Murray E.|date=2008|title=Camelids Are Not Ruminants|journal=Zoo and Wild Animal Medicine|pages=375–385|doi=10.1016/B978-141604047-7.50049-X|pmc=7152308|isbn=978-1-4160-4047-7}}</ref>

=== Blood ===
Guanacos are often found at altitudes up to {{cvt|4,000|m}}  above sea level, except in [[Patagonia]], where the southerly latitude means ice covers the vegetation at these altitudes. Their blood is rich in [[red blood cell]]s, enabling them to survive in the low oxygen levels found at these high altitudes. A teaspoon of guanaco blood contains about 68 million red blood cells, four times that of a human.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.knowsleysafariexperience.co.uk/?/animal-details/animal/25/page/guanaco.html |title=Visit Englands Finest Safari Park & Zoo near Liverpool & Manchester |publisher=Knowsleysafariexperience.co.uk |access-date=2013-07-16}}</ref>

=== Guanaco fiber ===
Guanaco fiber is particularly prized for its soft, warm feel and is found in [[luxury goods|luxury]] [[fabric]]. In South America, the guanaco's soft wool is valued second only to that of [[vicuña wool]]. The pelts, particularly from the calves, are sometimes used as a substitute for [[red fox]] pelts, because the texture is difficult to differentiate.  Like their domestic descendant, the llama, the guanaco is [[coat (animal)|double-coated]] with coarse [[guard hair]]s and a soft undercoat, the hairs of which are about 16–18 [[Micron (wool)|μm]] in [[diameter]] and comparable to [[cashmere wool|cashmere]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.llama.org/llama_fiber.htm |work=International Llama Association |title=Llama Fiber |date=2007-04-17 |author=Beula Williams |access-date=2008-05-04 |archive-date=2018-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106171527/http://www.llama.org/llama_fiber.htm }}</ref>

== Subspecies ==
*''Lama guanicoe guanicoe'' from the north
*''Lama guanicoe cacsilensis'' from the south

== Population and distribution ==
[[File:Lama Guanicoe.jpg|thumb|Herd of guanacos]]
[[File:Penguins and Guanaco.jpg|thumb|Guanaco sharing a habitat with [[Magellanic penguin]]s, [[Punta Tombo]]]]
Guanacos inhabit the steppes, scrublands and mountainous regions of [[South America]]. They are found in the  [[altiplano]] of [[Peru]], [[Bolivia]] and [[Chile]], and in [[Patagonia]], with a small population in [[Paraguay]].<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> In [[Argentina]] they are more numerous in Patagonian regions, as well as in places such as [[Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego]]. In these areas, they have more robust populations, since grazing competition from livestock is limited. Guanaco respond to forage availability, occupying zones with low to intermediate food availability in the breeding season and those with the highest availability in the non-breeding season.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Flores |first1=Celina E. |last2=Bellis |first2=Laura M. |last3=Adrián |first3=Schiavini |title=Modelling the abundance and productivity distribution to understand the habitat–species relationship: the guanaco (''Lama guanicoe'') case study |journal=Wildlife Research |date=2020 |volume=47 |issue=6 |page=448 |doi=10.1071/WR19114|bibcode=2020WildR..47..448F |s2cid=221564519 }}</ref> 

Estimates, as of 2016, place their numbers around 1.5 to 2 million animals: 1,225,000–1,890,000 in Argentina, 270,000–299,000 in Chile, 3,000 in Peru, 150–200 in Bolivia and 20–100 in Paraguay. This is only 3–7% of the guanaco population before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in South America.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=The Guanaco - World's Finest Wool|url=https://www.worlds-finest-wool.com/the-guanaco/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Autin|first=Beth|title=LibGuides: Guanaco (Lama guanicoe) Fact Sheet: Population & Conservation Status|url=https://ielc.libguides.com/sdzg/factsheets/guanaco/population|access-date=2022-01-09|website=ielc.libguides.com|language=en}}</ref> A small population introduced by [[John Hamilton (farmer)|John Hamilton]] exists on [[Staats Island]] in the [[Falkland Islands|Falkland Islands (Malvinas)]], with a population of around 400 as of 2003.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Franklin|first1=William L.|last2=Grigione|first2=Melissa M.|date=10 March 2005|title=The enigma of guanacos in the Falkland Islands: the legacy of John Hamilton|journal=Journal of Biogeography|volume=32|issue=4|pages=661–675|doi=10.1111/j.1365-2699.2004.01220.x|bibcode=2005JBiog..32..661F |s2cid=83468367 }}</ref> In Torres del Paine National Park, the numbers of guanacos increased from 175 in 1975 to 3,000 in 1993.<ref name=":0"/><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Sarno|first1=R. J.|last2=Franklin|first2=W. L.|date=1999-12-06|title=Population Density and Annual Variation in Birth Mass of Guanacos in Southern Chile|journal=Journal of Mammalogy|volume=80|issue=4|pages=1158–1162|doi=10.2307/1383166|jstor=1383166|bibcode=1999JMamm..80.1158S |issn=1545-1542}}</ref>

Guanacos live in herds composed of females, their young, and a dominant male. Bachelor males form separate herds. While reproductive groups tend to remain small, often containing no more than 10 adults, bachelor herds may contain as many as 50 males. They can run at {{cvt|56|km/h}} per hour, often over steep and rocky terrain.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.animalplanet.com/wild-animals/|title=Wild Animals|date=June 2, 2014|website=Animal Planet}}</ref> They are also excellent swimmers. A guanaco's typical lifespan is 20 to 25 years.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=2021-03-17|title=Guanaco {{!}} San Francisco Zoo & Gardens|work=San Francisco Zoo & Gardens |url=https://www.sfzoo.org/guanaco/|access-date=2022-01-09|language=en-US}}</ref>

In Bolivia, the habitat of Guanacos is found to be threatened by [[woody plant encroachment]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Cuellar-Soto|first1=Erika|last2=Johnson|first2=Paul J.|last3=Macdonald|first3=David W.|last4=Barrett|first4=Glyn A.|last5=Segundo|first5=Jorge|date=2020-09-30|title=Woody plant encroachment drives habitat loss for a relict population of a large mammalian herbivore in South America|url=http://132.248.10.25/therya/index.php/THERYA/article/view/1071|journal=Therya|volume=11|issue=3|pages=484–494|doi=10.12933/therya-20-1071|s2cid=224951614|doi-access=free |author1-link=Erika Cuellar }}</ref>

=== Atacama Desert ===
Some guanacos live in the [[Atacama Desert]], where in some areas it has not rained for over 50 years. A mountainous coastline running parallel to the desert enables them to survive in what are called "fog oases" or [[lomas]].  Where the cool water touches the hotter land, the air above the desert is cooled, creating a [[fog]] and thus water vapor. Winds carry the fog across the desert, where [[cacti]] catch the water droplets and [[lichen]]s that cling to the cacti soak it in like a sponge. Guanacos then eat the cactus flowers and the lichens.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Deserts |series=Planet Earth |credits=Produced by Huw Cordey |network=BBC |station=BBC One |airdate=2006-04-02}}</ref>
<br>
<gallery widths="200" heights="150">
File:Guanacos (Lama guanicoe) Leona Amarga.jpg|Watching for danger in [[Torres del Paine]] in [[Patagonia]]
File:The Guanacos of Atacama.jpg|alt=Guanacos near the La Silla Observatory, 2400 meters above sea level.|Guanacos near the [[La Silla Observatory]], 2400 meters above sea level<ref>{{cite web|title=The Guanacos of Atacama |url=http://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1601a/ |access-date=4 January 2016}}</ref>
File:GuanacoBonesInAtacama.jpg|The remains of a guanaco scattered in the Atacama Desert, southwest of [[Cerro Paranal]]: The only intact section of skin is the thicker skin around the neck
File:Guanaco (Lama guanicoe) Leona Amarga 3.jpg|[[Torres del Paine]], [[Chile]]
File:Guanaco (Lama guanicoe) Leona Amarga 2.jpg|[[Torres del Paine]], [[Chile]]
</gallery>

== Ecology ==
The guanaco is a diurnal animal. It lives in small herds consisting of one male and several females with their young. When the male detects danger, he warns the group by bleating. The guanaco can run up to {{cvt|64|km/h|mph m/s}}. This speed is important for the survival of guanacos because they cannot easily hide in the open grasslands of the Altiplano.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Guanaco {{!}} San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants|url=https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/index.php/animals/guanaco|access-date=2022-01-05|website=animals.sandiegozoo.org}}</ref>

Natural predators of the guanaco include [[South American cougar|puma]]s and the [[culpeo]] or Andean fox.<ref name="SDZ"/> Fox predation was unknown until 2007 when predators began to be observed in the Karukinka Reserve in Tierra del Fuego. Scientists attribute this to the unfavourable climatic conditions on the island, which are causing food to become scarce, weakening the animals. The absence of pumas on Tierra del Fuego is also believed to be a factor that allows the fox to occupy their ecological niche. Finally, it is believed that this behaviour is not new, as the fox is nocturnal, which makes any predation challenging to observe. Faced with the threat of the fox, guanacos resort to cooperative strategies to protect their young with a shield formation, a circle around the vulnerable. If they are successful, they chase the fox away, which would be impossible with a puma.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Balboa|first1=Perla Cecilia Rodriguez|last2=Rodriguez|first2=Humberto Gonzalez|last3=Silva|first3=Israel Cantu|last4=Parra|first4=Artemio Carrillo|last5=Lozano|first5=Roque G. Ramirez|date=2016-04-07|title=Leaf Morphological Traits of then Shrub Species at the Tamaulipan Thorn Scrub|journal=International Journal of Bio-resource and Stress Management|volume=7|issue=2|pages=344–349|doi=10.23910/ijbsm/2016.7.2.1494b|doi-broken-date=26 August 2025 |issn=0976-3988|doi-access=free}}</ref>

When threatened, the guanaco alerts the rest of the herd with a high-pitched bleating sound, which sounds similar to a short, sharp laugh. The male usually runs behind the herd to defend them. Though typically mild-mannered, guanacos often spit when threatened, and can do so up to a distance of {{Convert|6|ft|spell=in}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cascada.travel/en/News/5-Fascinating-Facts-About-Guanacos|title=5 Fascinating Facts About Guanacos » Cascada Expediciones|website=www.cascada.travel|access-date=2019-06-12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Animals/CreatureFeature/Guanaco|title=National Geographic|access-date=2008-07-08|archive-date=2010-04-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100414190921/http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Animals/CreatureFeature/Guanaco}}</ref>

=== Mating season ===
Mating season occurs between November and February,{{citation needed|date=April 2021}} during which males often fight violently, usually trying to bite, and remove the other male’s testicles to establish dominance and breeding rights. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Swift as the Wind: The Guanacos of Patagonia {{!}} Roundglass Sustain {{!}} Roundglass {{!}} Sustain |url=https://roundglasssustain.com/photo-stories/guanacos-patagonia |access-date=2025-12-12 |website=roundglasssustain.com |language=en}}</ref> Eleven-and-a-half months later, a single chulengo is born.<ref name=worldassoc>{{cite web| publisher = World Association of Zoos and Aquariums| title = Guanaco: Lama guanicoe| access-date = 10 December 2012| url = http://www.waza.org/en/zoo/visit-the-zoo/camels/lama-guanicoe| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304114914/http://www.waza.org/en/zoo/visit-the-zoo/camels/lama-guanicoe| archive-date = 4 March 2016}}</ref> Chulengos are able to walk immediately after birth.  Male chulengos are chased off from the herd by the dominant male at around one year old and join a bachelor herd.

== Conservation ==
While not considered an endangered species in southern Argentina and Chile, dead guanacos are a common sight throughout this region where they are entangled on fences. Studies have found that annual yearling mortality on fences (5.53%) was higher than adult mortality (0.84%) and was more frequent in ovine (93 cm high) than bovine (113 cm) fences. Most guanacos died entangled by their legs in the highest wire when trying to jump over the fence.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rey |first1=Andrés |last2=Novaro |first2=Andrés J |last3=Guichón |first3=María L |title=Guanaco (Lama guanicoe) mortality by entanglement in wire fences |journal=Journal for Nature Conservation |date=October 2012 |volume=20 |issue=5 |pages=280–283 |doi=10.1016/j.jnc.2012.05.004 |bibcode=2012JNatC..20..280R |hdl=11336/76527 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1617138112000544 |access-date=24 May 2024|hdl-access=free }}</ref>

== Captivity and domestication ==
[[Image:Herd of guanacos.jpg|thumb|A herd of guanacos at the [[Chester Zoo]]]]
Around 300 guanacos are in U.S. zoos, and around 200 are registered in private herds.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.onramp113.com/royalfibers/guanfaq.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425141845/http://www.onramp113.com/royalfibers/guanfaq.htm|title=ROYAL FIBERS - Guanacos Facts|archive-date=25 April 2012|access-date=17 March 2015}}</ref> Guanacos have long been thought to be the parent species of the domesticated [[llama]]. This was confirmed via [[molecular phylogenetic]] analysis in 2001, although the analysis also found that domestic llamas had experienced considerable cross-hybridization with [[alpaca]]s, which are descended from the wild [[vicuña]].<ref name=wheeler>{{cite journal | first1 =Dr Jane | last1 =Wheeler | first2=Miranda | last2 = Kadwell |first3=Matilde | last3 = Fernandez |first4=Helen F. | last4 = Stanley |first5=Ricardo | last5 = Baldi |first6=Raul | last6 = Rosadio |first7=Michael W. | last7 = Bruford  |date=December 2001 | title =Genetic analysis reveals the wild ancestors of the llama and the alpaca | journal =Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences | volume =268 | issue =1485 | pages =2575–2584 | id= 0962-8452 (Paper), 1471-2954 (Online) | doi = 10.1098/rspb.2001.1774 | pmid =11749713 | pmc =1088918 | bibcode =2001PBioS.268.2575K }}</ref>

The guanaco was independently domesticated by the [[Mapuche]] of [[Mocha Island]] in [[southern Chile]], producing the [[chilihueque]], which was bred for its wool and to pull the [[plough]]. This animal disappeared in the 17th century when it was replaced by [[Old World]] [[sheep]] and [[draft animal]]s.<ref>Westbury, M., Prost, S., Seelenfreund, A., Ramírez, J. M., Matisoo-Smith, E. A., & Knapp, M. (2016). First complete mitochondrial genome data from ancient South American camelids-the mystery of the chilihueques from Isla Mocha (Chile). ''Scientific reports'', 6(1), 1-7.</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Llamanaco]]
{{clear}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
*{{Cite book|last=Moore|first=Katherine M.|chapter=Early Domesticated Camelids in the Andes|title=The archaeology of Andean pastoralism|date=May 5, 2016|publisher=University of New Mexico Press|editor2-first=Nicholas|editor2-last=Tripcevich|editor1-first=José M.|editor1-last=Capriles|isbn=978-0-8263-5703-8|location=Albuquerque|oclc=944156234|lccn=2015031759}}
* {{Cite journal|last1=Tessone|first1=A.|last2=Rindel|first2=D.|last3=Belardi|first3=J. B.|last4=Panarello|first4=H. O.|last5=Goñi|first5=R. A.|date=March 2014|title=δ 13 C and δ 15 N Variability in Modern Guanaco ( Lama guanicoe ) Assemblages in Southern Patagonia: Implications for Zooarchaeological Studies: δ 13 C and δ 15 N Variability in Modern Guanaco Assemblages|url=http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/oa.2330|journal=International Journal of Osteoarchaeology|language=en|volume=24|issue=2|pages=202–218|doi=10.1002/oa.2330|hdl=11336/18318|hdl-access=free}}

== External links ==
{{Wikispecies|Lama guanicoe}}
{{Commons}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIt0ub7PhWY Puma takes on Guanaco 3 Times Her Weight] | [[Seven Worlds, One Planet]] | [[BBC Earth]]

{{Artiodactyla|T.}}
{{Camelids}}
{{fibers}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q172886}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Mammals of the Andes]]
[[Category:Mammals of Patagonia]]
[[Category:Mammals of Chile]]
[[Category:Mammals of Argentina]]
[[Category:Mammals of Peru]]
[[Category:Mammals of Bolivia]]
[[Category:Camelids]]
[[Category:Quechua words and phrases]]
[[Category:Mammals described in 1776]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Philipp Ludwig Statius Müller]]
[[Category:Animal hair products]]
[[Category:Wool animals]]