Chordates • Earth.com

Vicuna

(Vicugna vicugna)

galery

Description

The vicuñas are the smallest camelids,weigh between 40 and 50 kg and have a length of 80 cm.They are wild.Its color is beige or vicuña ( brown clear reddish) on the back and white in the ventral area and legs,with variations depending on the geographical areas where they live.The northern populations are darker and have a tuft on the front of long white hairs (chest).The vicuñas have long,thin legs,finished in pads,apt to walk on various types of soils,even stony ones.the fiber of its wool is among the finest in the world,measuring 15 microns in diameter.The coat is dense,formed by thin fibers that grow close together,with the aim of protecting the animal from cold,rain and wind.If the fibers were thicker and grew more spaced,they would let in cold air and rain water.

Taxonomic tree:

Domain:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum:
Class: Mammalia
Order:Artiodactyla
Family:Camelidae
Genus:Vicugna
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