Vicugna

The vicuna (Vicugna vicugna) - Camels inhabiting the Andes in South America? Sounds quite surprising! Thinking of camels, the One-humped camel or Dromedary (Camelus dromedarius) and the Two-humped camel or Bactrian camel (Camelus ferus) from the African and Asian deserts come to one's mind. But these tall camel species have close relatives in South America - the smaller Llamas or South American camels. This group consists of just two species too: the Guanaco (Lama guanaco), the wild ancestor of the domestic Llama and Alpaca, and the even smaller and daintier Vicuna. Reaching a length of about 1,5 m, a shoulder height of almost one metre and a weight of 55 kg, the Vicuna is the smallest camel species.