Animal profile

Vicuna

Vicugna vicugna

MammaliaHigh Andean puna and altiplano grassland, mostly above 3,500 metresLeast Concern

Field profile

The vicuna is the smallest wild camelid, slender and cinnamon-coloured with a white bib, living in small family groups on high Andean grassland. Its lower incisors grow continuously, an unusual trait among hoofed mammals.

Published field notes

2025-05-13

Vicuna

Vicuna fleece is among the finest animal fibres

A vicuna's fibre measures around twelve micrometres, finer than cashmere and finer than the best merino. Inca law reserved the cloth for royalty, and modern harvesting still depends on catching wild animals, shearing them and letting them go.

Read with evidence →