Guajataca: Гуанако — Зоопарк «Лимпопо» г. Нижний Новгород – Нижегородский зоопарк — Conoce las especies de Puerto Rico

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11 марта, 2023
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Guajataca: Гуанако — Зоопарк «Лимпопо» г. Нижний Новгород – Нижегородский зоопарк

Guanaco — Zoo «Limpopo» Nizhny Novgorod — Nizhny Novgorod Zoo

Guanaco is an artiodactyl mammal from the camelid family, genus llamas. This animal is the ancestor of the domesticated llama. The first description of the guanaco was given by Cies de Leon in his Chronicle of Peru in 1553. In the Quechua language, the animal is called «wanaku», from which its name «guanaco» came from. nine0003

Guanaco is slender, light build, proportions are similar to antelope or deer, only the neck is more elongated. A long neck for an animal is a balancer when running and walking. The head is laterally compressed, also long. The upper lip is covered with hairs. It protrudes forward, is deeply divided, and is very mobile. Big eyes, long eyelashes. The ears are large, protruding, pointed. The tail is very short, constantly carried up. The upper part of the tail is covered with hair, the lower part is almost naked. The body length of the guanaco is 1.2-1. 75 m, the height at the withers is 0.9-1.3 m, weight — 115-140 kg, tail length — 15-25 cm. Only the third finger and the fourth were preserved on two-toed limbs. The feet are movable, narrow, deeply dissected between the toes. The shaggy skin has a yellowish or reddish-brown hue; on the neck and head — ash-gray; in the middle of the chest, behind, below and on the inside of the legs — whitish; on the back and forehead — blackish.

The female is similar in appearance to the male, only slightly smaller. The udder has four nipples.

Guanaco habitat — semi-deserts, pampas and highlands of the Andes from southern Peru to Tierra del Fuego, through Argentina and Chile. Also, a small population of these animals has chosen western Paraguay. Guanacos go high into the mountains — up to 4 thousand meters above sea level. nine0003

The speed that a guanaco can develop reaches 56 km/h. Animals live in open areas, so running is very important for them, it helps them survive. Guanacos are herbivores and can go without water for long periods of time. Their natural enemies are cougars, maned wolves and dogs.

Domesticated animals are used as draft animals on the plains of Patagonia and Pampa, in the mountains of Bolivia, Peru and Chile, on the islands near Cape Horn. In the wild, guanacos are still found in remote mountainous areas, but the number of these animals has decreased significantly. nine0003

Guanaco is a polygamous herd animal. The composition of the herd is one adult male, twenty females and young. When the males from the herd reach the age of 6-12 months, the leader drives them out. He also does not let other males, and even females. But only about 1/5 of the total number of adult males are included in family groups. The rest of the males live alone or in male groups.

As a result of pregnancy of a female guanaco, lasting 11 months, one cub is born, rarely two. Small guanacos eat mother’s milk up to 4 months, although from 1.5 months they already begin to consume plant foods. Females reach sexual maturity at 2 years of age. Guanacos live up to 20 years, in captivity — up to 28 years. nine0003

In the daytime the herd grazes, moves from valley to valley, and at night the animals never eat. They feed on grass, sometimes moss. They go to the watering place in the mornings and evenings, they drink both fresh and salt water.

The movements of the guanaco are lively, but the run is not too fast — on the plain, a good horse easily overtakes the herd. Animals run amble, stretch their neck forward. They climb mountains well.

They lie down on the ground like camels, dropping first on their knees, then on their chests. Guanacos are very careful. The male guards the entire herd while it grazes. As soon as danger arises, the leader begins to shout loudly, and the whole herd immediately runs away. Only occasionally, out of curiosity, do animals remain in place, attracted by an unfamiliar object, then a person can come close enough. nine0003

what kind of animal is this? Photo

Guanaco is an artiodactyl mammal from the camelid family, the genus llamas. This animal is the ancestor of the domesticated llama. The first description of the guanaco was given by Cies de Leon in his Chronicle of Peru in 1553. In the Quechua language, the animal is called «wanaku», from which its name «guanaco» came from.

The guanaco has a slender, light build, the proportions are similar to those of an antelope or a deer, only the neck is more elongated. A long neck for an animal is a balancer when running and walking. nine0003

The head is laterally compressed, also long. The upper lip is covered with hairs. It protrudes forward, is deeply divided, and is very mobile. Big eyes, long eyelashes. The ears are large, protruding, pointed.

The tail is very short, constantly carried up. The upper part of the tail is covered with hair, the lower part is almost naked. The body length of the guanaco is 1.2-1.75 m, the height at the withers is 0.9-1.3 m, the weight is 115-140 kg, the tail length is 15-25 cm. . The feet are movable, narrow, deeply dissected between the toes. nine0003

The shaggy skin has a yellowish or reddish-brown hue; on the neck and head — ash-gray; in the middle of the chest, behind, below and on the inside of the legs — whitish; on the back and forehead — blackish.

The coat is long, fluffy, shorter on the inside of the thighs and on the belly. Guanacos are very good swimmers. The female is similar in appearance to the male, only slightly smaller in size. The udder has four nipples. nine0003

The habitat of guanacos is semi-deserts, pampas and the highlands of the Andes from southern Peru to Tierra del Fuego, through Argentina and Chile. Also, a small population of these animals has chosen western Paraguay. Guanacos go high into the mountains — up to 4 thousand meters above sea level.

The speed that a guanaco can develop reaches 56 km / h. Animals live in open areas, so running is very important for them, it helps them survive. Guanacos are herbivores and can go without water for long periods of time. Their natural enemies are cougars, maned wolves and dogs. nine0003

The rut of guanacos lasts from August, in the northern part of the habitat, until February, in the southern part. At this time, the males are constantly fighting for the right to possess the female they like.

The fight of male guanacos is the same as that of camels: rivals rise to their hind legs, bite each other for anything, press down with their necks, beat with their free legs, spit stomach contents and just saliva. Guanacos mate, like camels, in a supine position. nine0003

As a result of pregnancy of a female guanaco, lasting 11 months, one cub is born, less often two. Small guanacos eat mother’s milk up to 4 months, although from 1.5 months they already begin to consume plant foods. Females reach sexual maturity at 2 years of age. Guanacos live up to 20 years, in captivity — up to 28 years.

The number of the guanaco species is steadily declining, as they are hunted for skin, valuable wool and meat, in addition, animals compete with livestock on pastures. In Peru and Chile, guanacos are protected by the state. The Indians highly value guanaco meat. nine0003

Clusters of their bones have been found in Patagonia, possibly the result of mass slaughtering of guanacos by the natives or early Spanish settlers.

In the Andes, on a ranch, guanacos are kept for the sake of beautiful fur (2-5 kg per animal for one haircut), clothes are sewn from it, jewelry is made. In appearance, the fur is similar to fox, it is used both natural and dyed. Newborn guanacos are slaughtered for the sake of beautiful skins — astrays. Capes are sewn from them. nine0003

During the day, the herd grazes, moving from valley to valley, and at night the animals never eat. They feed on grass, sometimes moss. They go to the watering place in the mornings and evenings, they drink both fresh and salt water.

Guanacos have an original habit that is also characteristic of other llamas — they always defecate in one place, and when the pile becomes too large, they start a new one next to it. nine0003

The Indians use this feature with might and main, using guanaco dung as fuel. Near these piles there are usually sand pits where animals like to wallow. With the onset of winter, snow is used instead of sand.

The movements of the guanaco are lively, but the run is not too fast — on the plain the herd is easily overtaken by a good horse. Animals run amble, stretch their neck forward. They climb mountains well. nine0003

They lie down on the ground like camels, falling first on their knees, then on their chests. Guanacos are very careful. The male guards the entire herd while it grazes.

As soon as danger arises, the leader begins to shout loudly, and the whole herd immediately runs away. Only occasionally, out of curiosity, do animals remain in place, attracted by an unfamiliar object, then a person can come close enough. nine0003

In America, guanacos are persecuted for their wool and meat. Hunting goes like this: with the help of dogs, animals are driven into a gorge, where they are caught by means of throwing balls or a lasso.

Often very young, trusting and affectionate, guanacos are caught and tamed. But as they get older, the animals become more and more feral. If the guanaco gets angry with someone, however, like all other types of llamas, then the ears are pressed to the head, an angry expression appears on the muzzle, and suddenly saliva with chewing gum flies into the offender. nine0003

Gerald Durrell wrote the book The Land of Rustles. There is also something about guanaco:
“He had chiseled, long, like a good racehorse, legs, a graceful long neck, similar to the neck of a giraffe, a slender body. His muzzle was much more graceful and longer than that of the lama, but had the same haughty expression. The eyes were huge and black. Guanaco spun with graceful little ears and looked at us with his chin up. Behind the male, three females and a couple of babies, whose height did not exceed the height of a terrier, stood in a timid, close flock. The babies had wide open, huge eyes, which gave them such an innocent look that the women from our expedition sighed enthusiastically and lisped sweetly. The fur of the animals was not a dirty brown, as we expected, but almost red. Only the legs and neck had a lighter shade, like sand lying in the sun. The whole body was covered with thick, beautiful brown-red hair. nine0003

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