|
|
 | VICUNA PERU: The vicuna is the smallest of the camelids and has the finest hair; it is also one with the smallest distribution area. There was a time when it was in danger of extinction, and it was therefore included in the list of threatened species. This situation is beginning to improve, thanks to the efforts made by the Peruvian authorities in collaboration with international wildlife protection organizations. For Peru , the vicua represents its natural wealth of fauna and has therefore been included in the national coat-of-arms. The vicua is a fragile-looking, graceful and extremely agile animal. It is the smallest of the camelids, ranging in height from 70- 90 cm ( 2 ft 3 in -3 ft ). Its head appears large in comparison to the rest of its body because of its rounded shape and prominent forehead. Its eyes are also large, its back arched, and its legs are long and thin thought very strong. A live specimen weighs from 35- 50 kg (77- 110 lb ). The vicua is a very shy animal and is therefore difficult to domesticate. Small numbers of them are bred in captivity, but despite this their timid nature remains unchanged. There are no references in specialist writings to the possibility of taming them. It's interesting to note that the Inca rulers only wore costumes from vicua wool. They used them once only, and then donated them as handsome and much valued gifts. It was a way of honouring anyone who had served the State or performed some act of merit, and it was also used as a means of putting pressure of the leaders of the tribes that were assimilated into the Tawaintinsuyu. The Incas were forbidden to kill vicuas. They captured them alive in massive hunts in which thousands of beaters took part, driving the animals into stone-walled corrals. There they were sheared and then set free. Such hunts were often conducted by the emperor in person. | | | | | ALPACA PERU |  | ALPACA: The name alpaca has become synonymous with fine, high quality wool used in the elegant world of haute couture - and not without good reason, for the wool has also been shown to be one of the warmest as well as the finest, only surpassed by the vicua and perhaps certain species of goat.The name of animal in Quechua is allpaka, paqo or paqocha, forms that also appear in the other living language, Aimara. Paqo is also used for one particular colour of alpaca, a dark coffee-colour with a reddish hue, which is considered the original colour of all alpacas and even of the others camelids. Nevertheless, the term also includes light-skinned ranks of the priesthood are also called paqos. They are two varieties of alpaca: the wakaya or wakayo and the suri. The former account for almost 90% of present-day herds. They are strong, robust animals whose medium-length has a fluffy appearance. The suri is slim and delicatewith long shaggy hair often reaching nearly to the ground. The fibres are thin, with a high fat content and a density of 140-170 hairs per sq. mm (90,000 - 110,000 per sq. in), compared with 90-110 (58,000 - 70,000) for the wakaya. Each animal produces from 3- 5 kg (6.5- 11 lb ) of fibre up to 30 cm ( 12 in ) in length depending on feeding and rearing techniques, climate and other environmental factors. Alpacas range in height from 80 - 90 cm ( 2 ft 6 in - 3 ft ). Their heads are smalls and rounded, with diminutive ears, large eyes and a sweet expression. The back is slightly curved and the tail hangs down close to the hindquarters. They have a gently rounded profile with a wide body - more noticeable when viewed from behind - and short legs. Live weight is between 75 and 85 kg (165- 187 lb ). | | GUANACO PERU |  | GUANACO: is the species with the greatest capacity for adapting to its surroundings. It can be found in almost all climates and at almost all altitudes, from the hottest areas to the permanently frozen lands in the extreme south of the continent. There are guanacos living at sea level, and others in the high Andes at altitudes of over 4,600 metres. Except on rare occasions, when a number of specimens were bred in captivity, they have always been wild. Various communities of Araucanos have tamed them for use as pack animals. For the hunters in the south of the continent, particulary the Ona, Yaghan and Alacaluf, as well as for the Araucanos further north, their main use was a source of food and pelts. Among the Incas, they were treated as game. The southern tribes called them luan. The origin of the name "guanaco" is not known for certain; it could have come from Aimara, one of the principal languages spoken in South America .Early descriptions confused the guanaco with other camelids and even with entirely different species such as the tapir. In general appearance it is similar to the llama, only slightly smaller in size. The average height is between 1.10 and 1.20 metres ( 3 ft 7 in - 4 ft ), increasing to 1.50 or 1.60 meters ( 4 ft 10 in - 5 ft 3 in ) if the head is included. The overall length from muzzle to tip of tail is 2.40 metres (7ft 10 in ). An adult can weight as much as 148 kg ( 105 lb ). It has black eyes, long ears edged in white and a cleft upper lip. The hind legs are longer than the forelegs, the rump is rounded, and the 25- 27 cm (9- 11 in ) tail is of coarse dark hair. The hooves end in pointed, cartilaginous nails, which cover two soft-padded toes. As regards colour, the body hair is reddish, with a slight gingery tone, except round the lips, ears, under-belly and inside legs, which are a darker colour. | | | |  | THE LLAMA: is found throughout the regions that previously formed part of the Inca empire, for the Indians took them with them during the Inca expansion, using them to transport provisions and other items.The earliest mention of llamas dates from 1511, when news of the fabled golden empire which, according to the Indians, lay beyond the South Sea reached the ears of the Spaniards. Llama is the name of the animal in the Quechua language; in Aimara it is kawra. It is the most cosmopolitan of the four species, since it lives at various latitudes and altitudes, from the Coast of Peru to 5,000 metres ( 16,400 ft ) above sea level. Llamas also inhabit the high rainforests with their hot, humid climate, at altitudes of under 1,800 metres ( 5,900 ft ), where they were taken by natives of the region of Q'ero in the department of Cuzco . The llama is the largest of the camelids, slightly exceeding the guanaco size. Its height to the top of its head is between 1.80 and 1.90 metres ( 5 ft 10 in- 6 ft 3 in ) and to its withers between 1.10 and 1.20 metres ( 3 ft 7 in - 4 ft ). The head is small in proportion to the body. The long ears measure almost 10 cm ( 4 in ) in length. The muzzle is long, with strong lips, and is covered in coarse hair. Weight ranges between 85 and 115 kg (187- 253 lb ), and the animals are therefore excellent meat producers, particularly in comparison with sheep and cows, which have difficulty in enduring the severe climate of the puna. Smaller ones also exist, perhaps as a result of adaptating to lower, milder regions, and can be found in large numbers in the Andean valleys in southern Peru . | | | |
|
|