The vicuña is the national animal of Peru, featured on the country’s flag and renowned for having the finest, rarest wool in the world. Scarves made from vicuña wool start at more than $1,000, and sweaters made from vicuña wool can cost up to $30,000+! I spotted a herd of these animals in the wild for the first time this week on my way to the Salinas Lagoon and National Reserve.
The vicuña is one of the four camelid species found in Peru (the other three being the llama, the alpaca, and the guanaco). This creature resembles llamas, alpacas, and guanacos, but is the smallest and most slender of the four species. In addition to their size, they can be differentiated by their fur--a soft cinnamon color with a white chest. They can also be differentiated by their ears, which are long and point straight up.
I was on my way to the Salinas Lagoon’s salt flats when I spotted a whole herd of vicuñas. It is not the most common to come across a herd as closely as I did, so I was very surprised and happy!
