In the region of the South American Andes, at an altitude of 3500 to 5500 meters, an interesting animal lives - the vicuña. Its close relatives are llamas and camels.
Vicuñas are mammals of the artiodactyl order. These species of living creatures belong to the camelid family. That is why vicuñas can remotely resemble camels, although these animals are more similar to llamas.
Vicuna weighs 40–50 kg, body length 150 cm, height 70–110 cm. Characteristic external features of the animal are a short head with long ears. The color on the back is light brown, on the belly it is almost white.
The mountains of Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina are considered to be the habitat of vicunas. We can say that this is an alpine animal that lives in the Andes.
At the head of the vicunas herd is the leader, and next to him are from 5 to 15 females with cubs. Vicuna pregnancy lasts 10-11 months. The average life span of individuals is about twenty years.
Vicuña cannot be kept in captivity, it does not tame at all and refuses to breed, the only option is keeping in large nature reserves.
The wool of vicunas, which is one of the most expensive in the world, is of particular value. Catching animals for wool has contributed to the almost complete extinction of vicunas, but the population is now recovering.
In ancient times, clothes made of vicunas' wool were worn only by tall nobles, while the animal was caught, cut and set free. The Spaniards who came to Peru began to exterminate them. For the last decades, vicuñas are under the protection of the state and the world community. To obtain wool, they are herded into corrals, sheared, examined for diseases, and then released.
Vicuna's coat is very warm, incredibly soft and fine to the touch. A special permit is obtained for the trade in wool and its use. In order to obtain 1 kg of this unusual wool, five animals are required, the length of the regrown wool of which must be at least 3 cm. Due to the slow fouling, each animal is sheared every 2 years.
During the processing and manufacture of clothes, wool is not dyed - it is very sensitive to chemicals and easily degrades.