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 ~40% in a week ~70%
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 Tierra del Fuego National Park
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 Tierra del Fuego National Park
No species of the same family or order lives in Tierra del Fuego National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other mammals.
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Guanaco in Tierra del Fuego National Park?
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Guanaco sighting in Tierra del Fuego National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 5th most-seen of the 7 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see a Guanaco in Tierra del Fuego National Park?
June and July
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Guanaco in Tierra del Fuego National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–May and October, the lowest months.
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 Tierra del Fuego National Park the best place to see a Guanaco?
4th of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Guanaco sightings, Tierra del Fuego National Park ranks 4th at about 20%. The best odds are in Península Valdés (Argentina, about 80%), 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 Tierra del Fuego National Park (9 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.