Mammals
Guanaco
Lama guanicoe
The guanaco is a wild South American camelid, slender and elegant, the ancestor of the domestic llama. With its woolly tawny coat and long neck, it is at home both at high altitude and on the windswept steppes.
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In short
The guanaco (Lama guanicoe) is a species with IUCN conservation status LC (Least concern). It lives in arid, cold environments, from high-altitude deserts to Patagonian grasslands, in family groups defended by a male or in large bachelor herds. Animals in Black offers a fine-art portrait of it on a black background, available as a print on Hahnemühle paper: view the print.
Habitat & conservation
Where does the guanaco live?
It lives in arid, cold environments, from high-altitude deserts to Patagonian grasslands, in family groups defended by a male or in large bachelor herds. Its red-cell-rich blood lets it breathe the thin air of the Andes.
Is the guanaco endangered?
The IUCN Red List rates it Least Concern (LC) with an increasing population, after a severe historical decline. Local pressures remain from fencing, competition with livestock and poaching for wool.
Facts about the guanaco
- It is the wild ancestor of the domestic llama.
- Its blood, very rich in red cells, lets it live at high altitude.
- It spits to defend itself and settle hierarchies, like its camelid relatives.
Data source: IUCN Red List — Lama guanicoe (Least Concern)
RED List
Conservation status codes
- EX Extinct No individuals survive.
- EW Extinct in the wild Survives only in captivity.
- CR Critically endangered Extremely high risk of extinction.
- EN Endangered Very high risk of extinction.
- VU Vulnerable High risk of extinction.
- NT Near threatened Likely to become threatened soon.
- LC Least concern Low risk of extinction.
- DD Data deficient Not enough data to assess.
- NE Not evaluated Not yet assessed by the IUCN.