Guanaco Lama guanicoe

As its Latin name suggests, Guanacos are wild ancestors of the domestic Llama and, like them, are native to the Andean desert regions of South America.

They are related to Camels and also to Vicunas and Alpacas. Guanacos are significantly larger than Vicunas, with similar reddish coats, but with grey heads and white bellies.

Guanacos live in female/juvenile herds lead by an adult male and all-male herds. They are not domesticated. When provoked, they spit like Llamas but unlike Llamas their coats are always a uniform reddish-brown colour with white undersides.