Elephant Puppet meets the guanaco
5The guanaco (/ɡwɑːˈnɑːkoʊ/ ghwuah-NAH-koh;[3] Lama guanicoe) is a camelid native to South America, closely related to the llama. Guanacos are one of two wild South American camelids; the other species is the vicuña, which lives at higher elevations.
The guanaco gets its name from the Quechua word wanaku. Young guanacos are called chulengos or "guanaquitos".[4]
Guanacos stand between 1.0 and 1.3 m (3 ft 3 in and 4 ft 3 in) at the shoulder, body length of 2.1 to 2.2 m (6 ft 11 in to 7 ft 3 in),[5][6][7] and weigh 90 to 140 kg (200 to 310 lb).[8] Their color varies very little (unlike the domestic llama), ranging from a light brown to dark cinnamon and shading to white underneath. Guanacos have grey faces and small, straight ears. The lifespan of a guanaco can be as long as 28 years.[9]
Guanacos are one of the largest terrestrial mammals native to South America today.[6] Other terrestrial mammalian megafauna weighing as much or more than the guanaco include the tapirs, the marsh deer, the white-tailed deer, the spectacled bear, and the jaguar.[citation needed]
Guanacos have thick skin on their necks, a trait also found in their domestic counterparts, the llama, and their relatives, the wild vicuña and domesticated alpaca. This protects their necks from predator attacks. Bolivians use the neck skin of these animals to make shoes, flattening and pounding the skin to be used for the soles. In Chile, hunting is allowed only in Tierra del Fuego, where the only population not classified as endangered in the country resides. Between 2007 and 2012, 13,200 guanacos were legally hunted in Tierra del Fuego.[10]
The guanaco is related to a camel, llama and alpaca. Like camels they have long eyelashes that protect their eyes from dust or dirt. They can be found in the wild in South America and can live up to 20 years.
The extinct large-headed llama was 2 feet (0.6m) taller than its descendent, the guanaco. Like camels the have long eye lashes that protect their eyes from dust and dirt.