Completed
Guanaco
Lama guanicoe
Silhouette: PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassMammalia (Mammals)
- OrderArtiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates and Cetaceans)
- FamilyCamelidae (Camelids)
- GenusLama (Llamas and Guanacos)
- SpeciesLama guanicoe (Guanaco)
In 3 days >90%
175 Verified sightings at Península Valdés From 2019 to 2026
500 In all 4 parks
January Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted
About the Guanaco
The guanaco ( gwah-NAH-koh; Lama guanicoe) is a camelid native to South America, closely related to the domesticated 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 the Quechua word 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 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, 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... Wikipedia →
Sounds
Recording0:10
Argentina · 2024
© Hugo · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:06
Argentina · 2022
© Facundo Varela Barros · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recent sightings of Guanaco in Península Valdés
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Península Valdés | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Torres del Paine National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 3 | Nahuel Huapi National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Tierra del Fuego National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
Zoos & Centres Where Found
Closest Relatives at Península Valdés
No species of the same family or order lives in Península Valdés, so these are its closest relatives here: other mammals.
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Guanaco in Península Valdés?
Very likely
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Guanaco sighting in Península Valdés on a given day, based on 175 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 12 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see a Guanaco in Península Valdés?
August–September and December–January
In those months about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Guanaco in Península Valdés on a given day, against about 30% in June, the lowest month.
What time of day is best to see a Guanaco?
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Guanaco sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Is Península Valdés the best place to see a Guanaco?
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Guanaco sightings, Península Valdés has the highest daily chance: about 80%. Next come Torres del Paine National Park (Chile, about 80%) and Nahuel Huapi National Park (Argentina, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Where does the Guanaco sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Guanaco is recorded against all the mammals logged in Península Valdés (175 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
