🏷️
Classification
Mammal
🍽️
Diet
Herbivore
⏱️
Lifespan
15–20 years
⚖️
Weight
35–65 kg
Population Trend
➡️Stable
Description
The smallest wild camelid, native to the high Andes, prized for the finest and most expensive wool in the world.
Habitat
🌿 alpine grassland🌿 puna🌿 moorland
Extended Data
Taxonomy
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Artiodactyla
Family
Camelidae
Genus
Vicugna
Fun Facts
1
Vicuña wool is among the most expensive natural fibers, costing up to $500 per kilogram.
2
Incan law made it punishable by death to kill a vicuña — they were considered sacred.
3
They can run at speeds up to 50 km/h across mountainous terrain.
4
Vicuñas produce only about 200 grams of wool per year, sheared every three years.
5
Conservation success: from 6,000 in the 1970s to over 350,000 today.