Contact Admin. It is 30 in. Their fleece is exceptionally soft and silky, and in the time of the Incas was reserved for royal robes. Hunted to the verge of extinction for its wool and flesh, it is now protected and has recovered.
Today wool is harvested from animals in the wild and others confined to ranches or enclosed ranges. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Retrieved August 21, from Encyclopedia. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.
The smallest member of the camel family, it is humpless and resembles the llama. Its silky coat is tawny brown with a yellowish bib under the neck. Family Camelidae; species Vicugna vicugna. A patch of longer hair covers the animal's throat and chest, keeping it warm when it rests on the ground. Its neck is long. It stands 30 to 40 inches 76 to centimeters tall at its shoulder. It feeds primarily on grasses, mosses, and other vegetation.
Pumas and Andean foxes are its main predators. They form family groups consisting of a dominant male and a number of adult females with their young. The male defends a feeding and sleeping territory averaging 17 to 74 acres 7 to 30 hectares. Those males unable to defend a territory and thus breed with females live a solitary life or join other males to form bachelor groups. A female gives birth to one infant after a gestation pregnancy period of to days. Their vocalizations include an alarm callβa high pitched whinnyβthat alerts the herd to danger.
They also emit a soft humming sound to signal bonding or greeting and a range of guttural sounds that communicate anger and fear. This male-only, melodic mating sound attracts females.
