Guanaco: Difference between revisions
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=== Atacama Desert === | === Atacama Desert === | ||
Some guanacos live in the Atacama Desert, where in some areas it has not rained for over 50 years. A mountainous coastline running parallel to the desert enables them to survive in what are called "fog oases" or lomas. Where the cool water touches the hotter land, the air above the desert is cooled, creating a fogand thus water vapor. Winds carry the fog across the desert, where cacti catch the water droplets and lichens that cling to the cacti soak it in like a sponge. Guanacos then eat the cactus flowers and the lichens. | Some guanacos live in the Atacama Desert, where in some areas it has not rained for over 50 years. A mountainous coastline running parallel to the desert enables them to survive in what are called "fog oases" or lomas. Where the cool water touches the hotter land, the air above the desert is cooled, creating a fogand thus water vapor. Winds carry the fog across the desert, where cacti catch the water droplets and lichens that cling to the cacti soak it in like a sponge. Guanacos then eat the cactus flowers and the lichens.<gallery mode="slideshow"> | ||
File:Guanacos (Lama guanicoe) Leona Amarga.jpg|Watching for danger in Torres del Paine in Patagonia | |||
File:The Guanacos of Atacama.jpg|Guanacos near the La Silla Observatory, 2400 meters above sea level | |||
File:GuanacoBonesInAtacama.jpg|The remains of a guanaco scattered in the Atacama Desert, southwest of Cerro Paranal: The only intact section of skin is the thicker skin around the neck | |||
File:Guanaco (Lama guanicoe) Leona Amarga 3.jpg|Torres del Paine, Chile | |||
File:Herd of guanacos.jpg|Torres del Paine, Chile | |||
</gallery> | |||
== Ecology == | == Ecology == | ||
The guanaco is a diurnal animal. It lives in small herds consisting of one male and several females with their young. When the male detects danger, he warns the group by bleating. The guanaco can run up to 64 km/h (40 mph; 18 m/s). This speed is important for the survival of guanacos because they cannot easily hide in the open grasslands of the Altiplano. | The guanaco is a diurnal animal. It lives in small herds consisting of one male and several females with their young. When the male detects danger, he warns the group by bleating. The guanaco can run up to 64 km/h (40 mph; 18 m/s). This speed is important for the survival of guanacos because they cannot easily hide in the open grasslands of the Altiplano. | ||
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== Captivity and domestication == | == Captivity and domestication == | ||
Around 300 guanacos are in U.S. zoos, and around 200 are registered in private herds. Guanacos have long been thought to be the parent species of the domesticated llama. This was confirmed via molecular phylogenetic analysis in 2001, although the analysis also found that domestic llamas had experienced considerable cross-hybridization with alpacas, which are descended from the wild vicuña. | Around 300 guanacos are in U.S. zoos, and around 200 are registered in private herds. Guanacos have long been thought to be the parent species of the domesticated llama. This was confirmed via molecular phylogenetic analysis in 2001, although the analysis also found that domestic llamas had experienced considerable cross-hybridization with alpacas, which are descended from the wild vicuña. | ||
[[File:Herd of guanacos.jpg|center|thumb|500x500px|A herd of guanacos at the Chester Zoo]] | |||
The guanaco was independently domesticated by the Mapuche of Mocha Island in southern Chile, producing the chilihueque, which was bred for its wool and to pull the plough. This animal disappeared in the 17th century when it was replaced by Old World sheep and draft animals. | The guanaco was independently domesticated by the Mapuche of Mocha Island in southern Chile, producing the chilihueque, which was bred for its wool and to pull the plough. This animal disappeared in the 17th century when it was replaced by Old World sheep and draft animals. | ||