THE GUANACO OR WILD LLAMA 



(Auckenia huanacus) 



The Guanaco and its ally the Vicugna are the American representatives 

 of the Old-World Camels, and the only other members of the family 

 Camelidce. The resemblance of the Guanaco to the Camel is obvious 

 at once, although it has a very straight back instead of the familiar 

 hump, a much shorter and bushier tail and longer ears, and the toes 

 almost completely divided, instead of being united below into a single 

 pad, so that the foot is very like that of a two-toed bird. 



The resemblance extends to points less easily observable ; the 

 Guanaco has essentially the same structure of stomach as the Camel, 

 with its characteristic water-pouches, and also possesses, like that 

 animal, the canine-like outer incisors and pointed canines, though it 

 has not the canine-like premolars. 



In size the Guanaco is about equal to our Red-Deer, and in appear- 

 ance, as the illustration shows, a very elegant creature ; a characteristic 

 point of its appearance is the way in which the body is " tucked up " 

 at the loins, as in a Greyhound. The coat is of a woolly nature in the 

 body, and very soft and fine. There is not much variation in colour, 

 but some specimens have the face blacker than others, and white and 

 pied varieties may occasionally occur. 



Thq range of the Guanaco is very wide, extending over the temperate 

 parts of South America generally, from the Andes of Ecuador to Tierra 

 del Fuego. It is a very active beast, being equally at home on rocky 

 slopes, in ascending and descending, while it shows itself remarkably 

 sure-footed, and showing great speed when on the open plains. It is 

 a particularly common and characteristic animal in Patagonia. Its 

 food consists of such herbage as may be found about its haunts, and 

 it seems to be able to live on very little, as it is sometimes found in 

 the most barren localities, and, in some cases, appears to drink either 



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