1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Vicugña
VICUGÑA, one of
Head of Vicugña.
the two wild living
South American
representatives of the
camel-tribe, a
Camelidae (see Tylopoda).
From its relative the
guanaco the vicugña
(Lama vicunia) differs by its inferior stature, more slender build
and shorter head, as well as by the absence of bare patches or
callosities on the hind limbs. The general colour of the woolly
coat is orange-red. Vicugñas live in herds on the bleak and
elevated parts of the mountain range bordering the region of
perpetual snow, amidst rocks and precipices, occurring in
various parts of Peru, in the southern part of Ecuador, and as
far south as the middle of Bolivia. The wool is extremely
delicate and soft, and highly valued for the purposes of weaving,
but the quantity which each animal produces is not great.