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27-596: The upper reach of the river lies within the boundaries of Lauca National Park in the Parinacota Province . The Lauca receives waters from a group of lakes known as Quta Qutani through the Desaguadero River. In this area, there is a type of marsh known as Parinacota wetlands, in which converge several streams, being the more important the river just mentioned, which has a variable flow rate ranging from 100 to 560 L/s, and an average of 260 L/s. From its source in

54-481: A common sight throughout this region where they are entangled on fences. Studies have found that annual yearling mortality on fences (5.53%) was higher than adult mortality (0.84%) and was more frequent in ovine (93 cm high) than bovine (113 cm) fences. Most guanacos died entangled by their legs in the highest wire when trying to jump over the fence. Around 300 guanacos are in U.S. zoos, and around 200 are registered in private herds. Guanacos have long been thought to be

81-545: A complaint from Bolivian government who argued that Chilean authorities were altering the course of an international river. Chile answered that the natural course of the river was not modified, but the works executed were related to the use of waters in the Parinacota wetlands, which not affect the total water flow of the Lauca in its course to Bolivia. The litigation between both countries, started in 1939, caused diplomatic tension until

108-463: A distance of six feet. Mating season occurs between November and February, during which males often fight violently to establish dominance and breeding rights. Eleven-and-a-half months later, a single chulengo is born. Chulengos are able to walk immediately after birth. Male chulengos are chased off from the herd by the dominant male at around one year old. While not considered an endangered species in southern Argentina and Chile, dead guanacos are

135-405: 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. Guanacos are one of the largest terrestrial mammals native to South America today. Other terrestrial mammalian megafauna weighing as much or more than the guanaco include the tapirs , the marsh deer , the white-tailed deer ,

162-424: A shield formation, a circle around the vulnerable. If they are successful, they chase the fox away, which would be impossible with a puma. When threatened, the guanaco alerts the rest of the herd with a high-pitched bleating sound, which sounds similar to a short, sharp laugh. The male usually runs behind the herd to defend them. Though typically mild-mannered, guanacos often spit when threatened, and can do so up to

189-457: Is 20 to 25 years. In Bolivia, the habitat of Guanacos is found to be threatened by woody plant encroachment . Some guanacos live in the Atacama Desert , where in some areas it has not rained for over 50 years. A mountainous coastline running parallel to the desert enables them to survive in what are called "fog oases" or lomas . Where the cool water touches the hotter land, the air above

216-443: Is adapted to the harsh puna environment, as are the bofedales, llaretales and Andean steppes. Guanaco The guanaco ( / ɡ w ɑː ˈ n ɑː k oʊ / ghwuah- NAH -koh ; 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

243-540: 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. Like all camels, Guanacos are herbivores, grazing on grasses, shrubs, herbs, lichens, fungi, cacti, and flowers. The food is swallowed with little chewing and first enters the forestomach to be digested finally after rumination. This process

270-503: Is located 145 kilometres (90 mi) east of Arica and 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) west of Putre , between 18°03' S - 18°27' S and 69°02' W - 69°39' W, and 3,200 metres (10,500 ft) to 6,342 metres (20,807 ft) msnm. One of the main attractions of the park is the small lacustrine area formed by Chungará and Cotacotani lakes, which lies at the foothills of the Payachata volcanic group . Other majestic volcanoes forming part of

297-458: Is similar to that of ruminants, to which camels are not zoologically related. The camels' digestive system is likely to have developed independently of ruminants, which is evidenced by the fact that the forestomachs are equipped with glands. Guanacos are often found at altitudes up to 4,000 m (13,000 ft) above sea level, except in Patagonia , where the southerly latitude means ice covers

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324-544: The altiplano of Peru , Bolivia and Chile , and in Patagonia , with a small population in Paraguay . In Argentina they are more numerous in Patagonian regions, as well as in places such as Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego . In these areas, they have more robust populations, since grazing competition from livestock is limited. Guanaco respond to forage availability, occupying zones with low to intermediate food availability in

351-649: The Falkland Islands (Malvinas) , with a population of around 400 as of 2003. In Torres del Paine National Park, the numbers of guanacos increased from 175 in 1975 to 3,000 in 1993. Guanacos live in herds composed of females, their young, and a dominant male. Bachelor males form separate herds. While reproductive groups tend to remain small, often containing no more than 10 adults, bachelor herds may contain as many as 50 males. They can run at 56 km/h (35 mph) per hour, often over steep and rocky terrain. They are also excellent swimmers. A guanaco's typical lifespan

378-482: The Quechua word huanaco (modern spelling wanaku ). Young guanacos are called chulengos or "guanaquitos". 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), and weigh 90 to 140 kg (200 to 310 lb). Their color varies very little (unlike the domestic llama ), ranging from

405-402: The spectacled bear , and the jaguar . 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

432-719: The 1960s. 19°23′00″S 68°10′00″W  /  19.3833°S 68.1667°W  / -19.3833; -68.1667 Lauca National Park Lauca National Park is in Chile's far north , within the Andean range. It encompasses an area of 1,379 km² of altiplano and mountains, the latter consisting mainly of enormous volcanoes. Las Vicuñas National Reserve is its neighbour to the south. Both protected areas, along with Salar de Surire Natural Monument , form Lauca Biosphere Reserve . The park borders Sajama National Park in Bolivia . The park

459-470: The Parinacota wetlands the river flows west. The spurs of the Cordillera Central (also known as Chapiquiña ) form an obstacle impossible to pass through, forcing the river's course southward. In the vicinity of Wallatiri volcano, the Lauca turns again, now eastward crossing from Chile into Bolivia at the latitude of Macaya , at an elevation of 3,892 m asl and with a flow rate about 2,6 m³/s. In Chile

486-830: The breeding season and those with the highest availability in the non-breeding season. Estimates, as of 2016, place their numbers around 1.5 to 2 million animals: 1,225,000–1,890,000 in Argentina, 270,000–299,000 in Chile, 3,000 in Peru, 150–200 in Bolivia and 20–100 in Paraguay. This is only 3–7% of the guanaco population before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in South America. A small population introduced by John Hamilton exists on Staats Island in

513-431: The calves, are sometimes used as a substitute for red fox pelts, because the texture is difficult to differentiate. Like their domestic descendant, the llama, the guanaco is double-coated with coarse guard hairs and a soft undercoat, the hairs of which are about 16–18 μm in diameter and comparable to cashmere . Guanacos inhabit the steppes, scrublands and mountainous regions of South America . They are found in

540-416: The desert is cooled, creating a fog and thus water vapor. Winds carry the fog across the desert, where cacti catch the water droplets and lichens that cling to the cacti soak it in like a sponge. Guanacos then eat the cactus flowers and the lichens. The guanaco is a diurnal animal. It lives in small herds consisting of one male and several females with their young. When the male detects danger, he warns

567-560: The group by bleating. The guanaco can run up to 64 km/h (40 mph; 18 m/s). This speed is important for the survival of guanacos because they cannot easily hide in the open grasslands of the Altiplano. Natural predators of the guanaco include pumas and the culpeo or Andean fox. Fox predation was unknown until 2007 when predators began to be observed in the Karukinka Reserve in Tierra del Fuego. Scientists attribute this to

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594-535: The national park are the Guallatiri and the Acotango . Lauca features include archaeological sites, lava fields and volcanic calderas. Within the park is located the town of Parinacota with its colonial church. The headwaters of Lauca River are also found within the park and bordering it to the west is Lluta River . The international Chile Route 11 passes through this protected area. It runs from Chile Route 5 in

621-463: The parent species of the domesticated llama , which was confirmed via molecular phylogenetic analysis in 2001, although the analysis also found that domestic llamas had experienced considerable cross-hybridization with alpacas , which are descended from the wild vicuña . The guanaco was independently domesticated by the Mapuche of Mocha Island in southern Chile , producing the chilihueque , which

648-574: The river drains an area of 2,350 km². In the Bolivian Altiplano, the Lauca collects the waters of the rivers Sajama and Coipasa, raising its flow rate up to 8 m³/s before turning south to empty into Coipasa Lake, close to the salt flat of the same name . During the 1930s, the Chilean government begun to use the hydrical resources of Lauca river for irrigation in the Azapa Valley , generating

675-477: The unfavourable climatic conditions on the island, which are causing food to become scarce, weakening the animals. The absence of pumas on Tierra del Fuego is also believed to be a factor that allows the fox to occupy their ecological niche. Finally, it is believed that this behaviour is not new, as the fox is nocturnal, which makes any predation challenging to observe. Faced with the threat of the fox, guanacos resort to cooperative strategies to protect their young with

702-474: The vegetation at these altitudes. Their blood is rich in red blood cells , enabling them to survive in the low oxygen levels found at these high altitudes. A teaspoon of guanaco blood contains about 68 million red blood cells, four times that of a human. Guanaco fiber is particularly prized for its soft, warm feel and is found in luxury fabric . In South America, the guanaco's soft wool is valued second only to that of vicuña wool . The pelts, particularly from

729-800: The vicinity of Arica to Tambo Quemado Pass and provides the main access to the park. The park lies within the Central Andean dry puna ecoregion . Several species of animals and plants can be found in the park. Mammals in the area include vicuñas , llamas , alpacas , guanacos , tarucas , cougars and vizcachas . There are over 140 bird species, making it one of the best national parks for birding in Chile. Those include puna ibis , Andean goose , giant coot , puna tinamou , silvery grebe , crested duck , puna teal , Andean condor and Chilean flamingo . Over 400 species of vascular plants grow in Lauca National Park. The park's vegetation

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