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The vicuña (Lama vicugna) or vicuna [3] (both / v ɪ ˈ k uː n j ə /, very rarely spelled vicugna, its former genus name) [4] [5] is one of the two wild South American camelids, which live in the high alpine areas of the Andes; the other camelid is the guanaco, which lives at lower elevations.
The llama and alpaca were especially important in the Andean economy. Llama: the resources provided by the llama were used to the maximum. Thus, its wool was spun to transform it into clothing for the people of the sierra , as the inhabitants of the coast used the cotton to make their clothing.
Alpacas were domesticated thousands of years ago. The Moche people of Northern Peru often used alpaca images in their art. [6] Traditionally, alpaca were bred and raised in herds, grazing on the level meadows and escarpments of the Andes, from Ecuador and Peru to Western Bolivia and Northern Chile, typically at an altitude of 3,500 to 5,000 metres (11,000 to 16,000 feet) above sea level. [7]
File:Peru - Lares Trek 011 - llamas & alpacas at pasture high up above 4000m (7584233594).jpg
Millions of alpaca roam the hills of Peru, where 80% of the luxurious fibers around the world come from.
Llamas and alpacas were usually pastured high up in the Andes above cultivatable land, at 4,000 meters (13,000 ft) elevation and even higher. [20] Llamas and alpacas were very important providing "wool, meat, leather, moveable wealth," and "transportation." [9] The Inca also bred and domesticated ducks and guinea pigs as a source of meat. [21]
According to the 10-year census taken by the private U.S. Vanishing Cultures Foundation Inc, [2] there are six major Q'ero villages, which are home for 600 people and approximately 6000 llamas and alpacas. The travel-time on the mountain trails between villages ranges from only an hour up to a full three-days of travel.
Llama Conservation status Domesticated Scientific classification Domain: Eukaryota Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Family: Camelidae Genus: Lama Species: L. glama Binomial name Lama glama (Linnaeus, 1758) Domestic llama and alpaca range Synonyms Camelus glama Linnaeus, 1758 The llama (Lama glama) is a domesticated South American camelid, widely used as a ...