Guanaco (Lama guanicoe) Fact Sheet: Behavior & Ecology

Diurnal

• Consistent activity throughout the day
• One study
  • Males: 65% foraging, 14% alert, 12% resting (no difference between family-group and solo males.)
  • Females: 89% foraging, 26% alert, 43% resting, 15% moving, 11% aggression

Territory/Home Range

• Male establishes and defends desirable territory (sufficient food / few predators).
  • Territory is maintained from mid-spring to late autumn.
  • Dung piles (not used by other herd members) mark territory.
  • Males migrate from wintering grounds back to same territorial region in the spring.
• Fluid movement of females between male territories.
• Summer territories are usually larger than winter territories.
• When conditions are harsh (severe weather/little food) – large mixed herds form (no territoriality).
• Herds are sedentary when forage supplies and weather are stable

• Territorial male with family group = single male with harems (5-13 adults and ~ 3 young)
  
• Solo territorial males = single male with no family of females
  
• Male groups (immature males, yearlings evicted from family groups, and old or injured males)
  
• Bands of adult females with young, move between male territories from middle-to-late mating season

Aggression

• Mothers exhibit aggressive behavior toward predators.
• In controlling his harem, male chases, bites hindlegs of females, forceably expels juveniles.
• Fights over territory can be violent and damaging.

Displays

• Spitting: Diffuse spewing of stomach contents (preceded by gulping/ gurgling sound (3-6 ft range).

Visual Signs

• Ears, tail and body language combine to provide social information
• Greeting after separation: Stand nose to nose. Horizontal wagging or U-flagging tail movement.
• Tail curved over back, neck low, front limbs slightly bent – submission.
• Ears
  • Straight up – normal
  • Forward – alarm
  • Horizontal – aggression
• Tail
  • Straight down – normal position
  • Horizontal or slightly raised –
  • High Tail – aggression

Vocalization

• Danger warning: high trill
• Snort – mild aggression
• Shreeking – extreme aggression

Olfaction/Scent Marking

• Dung piles are used for defecation.

Running

• Run at speeds up to 40 mph (64 km/hr)
• Babies can run soon after birth.

Swimming

• Strong swimmers

Humans

• Incas used them as pack animals.
• Integrated into lives of the indigenous people (used for transportation, clothing and other textile articles, meat and milk products).
• Raised in non-native countries because of their usefulness as pack animals, pets, and guard animals for sheep.

Franklin & Herre (1990)
Gonzalez et al (2006)
Young & Franklin (2004)
Ortega & Franklin (1995)
Puig & Videla (1995)
Fowler (1998)