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South American Camelids

The guanaco (Figure 1.4) has the broadest distribution, both historically and currently, of the four SACs. Four geographic variants of guanaco have been described, ranging from sea level in Tierra del Fuego at the southernmost tip of South America to 4600 m in the Andes [8, 10, 13]. The northernmost populations exist at latitude 8° south in Peru (Figure 1.5). Guanacos live in both migratory and sedentary groups [16]. Captive‐born guanacos may be tamed and handled similarly to llamas; the Incas used them as pack animals [8]. All guanaco subspecies share uniform coloration: a dark brown upper body, neck, and limbs with whitish fiber on the underside of the neck and belly and a grayish to black face [8]. However, their size varies based on geographic distribution with the smallest being from the low‐ and mid‐latitudes and the largest animals in the higher latitudes such as Tierra del Fuego [10].

Vicuña distribution is limited to the puna (Quechua for highland) life zone of the Andes (elevation 4200–4800 m) [14]. The vicuña (Figures 1.6 and 1.7) is the smallest of the SACs and has the finest fiber coat [10]. It has a cinnamon‐colored coat, white underparts, a pale cinnamon face, and a bib of white hair on the chest. There are two geographic subspecies of vicuña: the Peruvian, with long white hairs on the bib, and the Argentinian, with shorter hairs on the bib. In Incan civilizations, the vicuña was considered the property of the kings, and only royalty were allowed to wear garments made from their fiber.

Figure 1.3 (a) Wild Bactrian camel from the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. (b) Multiple wild Bactrian camels are pictured here. The wild Bactrian camel is considered to be critically endangered today and is only found in a narrow region in southern Mongolia.

      Source: Used by permission from George B. Schaller, Wildlife Conservation Society.

Table 1.1 Taxonomic classification of common Artiodactyla^a.

Common Name	Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Suborder	Family	Genius	Species	Subspecies
Dromedary Camel	Animalia	Chordata	Mammalia	Artiodactyla	Tylopoda	Camelidae	Camelus	dromedarius
Bactrian Camel								bactrianus
Wild (Mongolian) Bactrian Camel									ferus
Alpaca							Vicugna	pacos
Vicuña (Argentine)								vicugna	vicugna
Vicuña (Peruvian)									mensalis
Llama							Lama	glama
Guanaco									guanicoe
Cattle b					Ruminantiac	Bovidae	Bos	taurus b
Sheep							Ovis	aries	d
Goat e							Capra	aegagrus	hircus e
Deer						Cervidae	Odocoileus	virginianus
Pig					Suiformes	Suidae	Sus	domesticus
Hippopotamus f						Hippopotamidae	Hippopotamus	amphibius

      ^a Does not include all the Artiodactylids but includes the most common to highlight the general relationship between camelids and other Artiodactylids.

      ^b Common American/European cattle. Indian (“humped”) cattle are classified Bos indicus or Bos taurus indicus .

      ^c Members of the suborder “Ruminantia” are often referred to as “true ruminants” however members of the Tylopoda (camelids) are also foregut fermenters and therefore undergo a process termed “rumination” and therefore camelids can be referred to as “ruminants.”

      ^d Multiple subspecies classified.

      ^e Domestic Goat. Some sources classify this as simply C. hircus. Multiple species (subspecies) classified.

      ^f Though hippopotamus

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