Spotted animals: vicuña

On the vast plains of the Andes Mountains, at altitudes of around 3500 to 5000 meters, there's not much life to be seen. Yet, even at these altitudes, animals like the vicuña still live. Thanks to some unique adaptations, these animals can survive so high in the mountains. Vicuñas have a large, powerful pumping heart, their blood absorbs more oxygen, and their red blood cells live 2,5 times longer than any other animal. This allows them to live easily at high altitudes and with low oxygen levels. Their thick fur protects them from the cold, but can be challenging in the sun. Because there's no shade on the high plains, the animals must regulate their body temperature. They do this by standing with their hind legs spread out. They have a bare patch on the inside of their thighs. This is where the blood vessels come close to the body's surface, allowing the animal to release excess body heat into the air.

The vicuña belongs to the camelid family, and like camels, it can survive well in dry areas. It is a frugal water eater. Its diet consists primarily of perennial grasses. Its teeth are adapted to its diet. Like rodents, its incisors grow continuously. They live in small groups. A group usually consists of one dominant adult male, several adult females, and their young. Vicuñas have two territories: a feeding territory and a sleeping territory, usually located at higher elevations.

The Incas considered the vicuña a high-ranking animal. They also knew its wool was fine and extremely valuable. It was considered among the most valuable in the world. They rounded up the animals and sheared them. After the fall of the Inca Empire, the wool remained valuable. The Spanish knew this, and they began hunting them en masse. During the Inca era, there were still over 1,5 million vicuñas; by 1960, this number had fallen to only 6000. Thanks to the establishment of national parks, the population has since doubled, but the animals are still classified as endangered.