# Vicuña (*Vicugna vicugna*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/vicu-a  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The vicuña (Vicugna vicugna) is a mammal in the family Camelidae, tribe Lamini, within the order Artiodactyla. It is a large, terrestrial, diurnal herbivore with an adult body mass of 47.5 kg and up to 50 kg. Gestation lasts 345 days, ranging from 330 to 350 days, with 1 young per litter and sexual maturity at 2 years. The vicuña is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 47.5 kg – 50 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 26.7 years – 61.5 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 330 days – 350 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 2 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 0.7 |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Artiodactyla
- family: Camelidae
- genus: Vicugna
- species: *Vicugna vicugna* (Molina, 1782)

Synonyms: *Camelus vicugna*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is a vicuña?

The vicuña is a mammal in the family Camelidae and the order Artiodactyla.

### How heavy is a vicuña?

An adult vicuña has a body mass of 47.5 kg, with values up to 50 kg reported by our sources.

### What does a vicuña eat?

The vicuña is a herbivore.

### Is the vicuña endangered?

No. The vicuña is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a vicuña live?

Our sources give a lifespan of 26.7 years for the vicuña, with values up to 61.5 years reported.

### How many young does a vicuña have?

A vicuña has 1 young per litter, at a rate of 0.7 litters per year, after a gestation of 345 days.

### Who named the vicuña?

The vicuña was named Vicugna vicugna by (Molina, 1782).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Vicuña (Vicugna vicugna). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/vicu-a