My first sight of this group was a couple lying in the dirt road! Completely chilled and did not bother to get up before the car was quite close. Even then they just leisurely moved on into the vast landscape. A hunted herd would be extremely stressed and run far away!
The northern and southern Vicuna are very similar but there is an apparent approximate geographical dividing line of 18 degrees south (Molina, 1872), and they are lighter in color.
These individuals was seen close to 21 degrees south, and I also note that their fur is distinctly lighter in a large patch from the mid hind-leg over the abdomen and to the front leg. The light pectoral “beard” seems similar in both subspecies.
Altitude: 3655.
-20.853056,-67.650556
Last updated on 27 June 2024
