GUANACO Lama guanicoe EN TIERRA DEL FUEGO - PATAGONIA - ARGENTINA#guanaco #camel

The GUANACO (Lama guanicoe) is a species of artiodactyl mammal of the Camelidae family native to South America.
It lives only in South America, maintaining populations throughout western Argentina and Bolivia, much of Chile, and smaller populations in western Paraguay and Peru.
Due to uncontrolled hunting and the deterioration of its habitat, there are areas where the guanaco is considered an endangered species, as they are hunted for their meat, leather and wool.
In the high Andean and Puna regions, populations are small, and in many cases their numbers are in progressive decline.
They are fine-boned animals, with a height of approximately 1.60 meters and weigh about 91 kilograms. They are covered by a thick double coat that protects them from the cold and adverse weather conditions.
A characteristic of guanacos is that they have a dark head and whitish ventral part and legs. This coloration helps them to camouflage themselves in desert and grassland habitats.
They have large eyes with thick eyelashes to protect them from dust and dirt. Their ears are large and pointed.
Although related to camels, guanacos do not have humps, but they do have camel-like feet, with two padded toes for walking on rocky terrain.
The guanaco has diurnal habits. They live in small herds consisting of a male and several females with their young. If the male detects any danger, he warns the group by bleating.
They feed on grasses, moss and tubers. Guanacos are known for their great ability to spit, both saliva and grasses they may be chewing.
The guanaco has a specialized digestive system and therefore can eat many types of food and absorb the most nutrients from plants. It does not have to drink water because it receives enough water from its food.
The mating season occurs between November and February. The males then become aggressive and fight each other for the females. After eleven months of gestation, a single calf is born and their mating system is polygynous.
Every two years, during the summer months, they give birth to a young called "chulengo". Gestation lasts eleven months. Only 30% of the chulengo born in the wild survive to adulthood.
The guanaco can run at about 64 km/h.10 Speed is important for its survival, because in the open places where they live there is nowhere to hide easily.
The chulengo can run soon after birth. The guanaco is also a good swimmer and can cross mountain streams.
Its main predator is the mountain lion. Another occasional predator is the "culpeo" or red fox. Although the attacks were observed in solitary, this fox has respectable body dimensions to hunt young and even juveniles.

Видео GUANACO Lama guanicoe EN TIERRA DEL FUEGO - PATAGONIA - ARGENTINA#guanaco #camel канала Biodiversidad Argentina - Walter Prado