Lama guanicoe
System : Terrestrial
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Artiodactyla
Camelidae
- General
- Distribution
- Impact
- Management
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Common name
guanaco (English)
Synonym
Similar species
Summary
The guanaco, Lama guanicoe, is a herbivorous, social ungulate that is the direct ancestor of the domestic llama. Native to South America, where it is the dominant ungulate of arid regions and scrubland, L. guanicoe is found in four out of the ten major habitat types found in South America - montane grasslands; desert and xeric shrublands; temperate forest; and grasslands, savannas and shrublands. L. guanicoe has a flexible social organisation, which, along with foraging behaviour and adaptable ecology contibutes to its invasiveness.
Species Description
Lama guanicoe is a large (80 - 120 kg) social ungulate. It is an intermediate herbivore and is a versatile forager, being both a grazer and a browser. L. guanicoe has a flexible social organisation, with resource defence polygyny breeding system. Populations are known to be both migratory and sedentary. They can go for long periods without drinking water (with sufficient moisture from foraged material), and are able to drink saline and brackish water, including ocean surf. (Baldi et al. 2008; Franklin & Grigioni 2005; González et al. 2006).
Notes
It was previously thought that there were four subspecies of L. guanicoe: L. g. cacsilensis (Lönnberg 1913), L. g. guanicoe (Müller 1776), L. g. huanacus (Molina 1782) and L. g. voglii. However, subsequent molecular studies gave evidence that there are only two subspecies of guanaco, L. g. cacsilensis and L. g. guanicoe. Peruvian L. guanicoe (and those from Northern Chile) are thought to be L. g. cacsilensis, with the remaining populations belonging to the L. g. guanicoe clade. (Baldi et al. 2008; González et al. 2006).
Habitat Description
L. guanicoe the predominant ungulate in arid and semi-arid areas in South America, and is found in a variety of habitats, and although it prefers open areas. L. guanicoe can inhabit altitudes up to 4000 m above sea level and occupies four of the ten major habitats of South America: montane grasslands; desert and xeric shrublands; temperate forest; and grasslands, savannas and shrublands. Habitats can be characterised by extremes in seasonal weather, with cold to freezing temperatures, snow cover in winter, precipitation, and moderate to high winds. (Baldi et al. 2008; Franklin & Grigioni 2005; González et al. 2006).
Principal source:
Compiler: IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG) with support from the Overseas Territories Environmental Programme (OTEP) project XOT603, a joint project with the Cayman Islands Government - Department of Environment
Review:
Publication date: 2010-06-08
Recommended citation: Global Invasive Species Database (2024) Species profile: Lama guanicoe. Downloaded from http://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/species.php?sc=1641 on 20-04-2024.
Management Info
Preventative measures: The Bureau of Rural Sciences, Australia, recently developed a risk assessment model (Bomford, 2003) which has been endorsed by the National Vertebrate Pests Committee and may be used as the basis for future exotic species import applications.To assign an exotic species to a threat category, three risk scores are calculated: the risk that (1) an escaped or released individual would harm people, (2) escaped or released individuals would establish a wild free-living population (3) the species would be a pest if a wild population did establish. These three risk scores are then used to assign the exotic species to one of four threat categories: extreme, serious, moderate or low.
Lama guanicoe has been assigned an Extreme threat catergory for Australia. These animals should not be allowed to enter, nor be kept in any State or Territory. (Special consideration may be given to scientific institutions on a case by case basis.) Any species that has not been assessed previously should be considered to be in the Extreme Threat Category and should be treated accordingly, until a risk assessment is conducted.
