Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
While their numbers have declined in some areas, L. peruanum, perhaps because they are the smallest of the Mountain Viscachas, are not particularly sought after for their fur or as a source of meat.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
None.
L. peruanum are used as a source of meat and fur, however their pelts are not in particularly high demand.
Positive Impacts: food
L. peruanum eat most of the sparse vegetable material they find in their habitats. This includes tough grasses, lichens, and moss. They feed primarily from late afternoon until after the sun sets.
Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore )
Lagidium peruanum, one of several recognized species of "Mountain Viscachas," lives in the Andes Mountains of Peru at elevations ranging from approximately 3,000-5,000 meters. This corresponds to the area contained between the timber and snow lines. L. peruanum, while often locally abundant, exhibits a scattered distribution across its range. It is not uncommon to have dense populations separated from other such populations by over 10 kilometers. There is seemingly little or no difference in habitat structure between occupied areas and the unoccupied areas between populations.
Biogeographic Regions: neotropical (Native )
L. peruanum live in dry, rocky, habitats between the timber line and snow line of the Andes mountains. Vegetation is relatively sparse and characterized mainly by coarse grasses. L. peruanum are often found near water that offers more succulent vegetation than drier areas within their habitat. They occupy burrows among rocks and crevices.
Terrestrial Biomes: mountains
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 19.5 years.
L. peruanum, excluding their bushy tails which reach lengths of about 200-400mm, are approximately 300-450mm in length. They posess dense, soft fur on their bodies and long, coarse fur on the dorsal surface of their tails. Their pelage coloration varies from dark grey at low elevations to brown at higher elevations. The ventral portion of their fur is lighter, and can be white, yellowish, or light gray. The dorsally curled ends of their tails vary from rusty to black in color. L. peruanum have long, hair-covered ears. Females have only a single pair of mammae.
Range mass: 0.900 to 1.600 kg.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Individuals reach sexual maturity after one year. The mating period ranges from October to December, in which all adult females become pregnant. Gestation lasts approximately 140 days and one offspring is produced. While females may undergo a post-partum estrus, it is unlikely that a second pregnancy in a given year will result given the length of the gestation period and the timing of the mating season. The offspring are precocious, and feed on a mixture of their mother's milk and vegetation. While females posess two ovaries and two uterine horns, only the right ovary and uterine horn are functional. If the right ovary is surgically removed, the left then becomes functional.
Range number of offspring: 1.000 (low) .
Average number of offspring: 1.000.
Range gestation period: 104 to 140 days.
Range weaning age: 30.000 (low) days.
Key Reproductive Features: gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual
Average birth mass: 180 g.
Average number of offspring: 1.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
Sex: male: 365 days.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
Sex: female: 365 days.
Parental Investment: precocial
The northern viscacha (Lagidium peruanum) is a species of viscacha, a rodent in the family Chinchillidae.[2] It is known from Peru and Chile, at elevations from 300 to 5000 m, and may also be present in Bolivia.[1]
The northern viscacha grows to a head and body length of some 300 to 450 mm (12 to 18 in) with a bushy tail nearly as long which can be curled in a coil. The adult weight is between 900 and 1,600 g (32 and 56 oz). Its long ears are furry and its body fur is dense and soft, but the tail has coarser hairs. The dorsal (upper) surface ranges from dark grey at lower altitudes to brown at higher elevations. The ventral (under) surface is cream or pale grey and the tip of the tail is reddish-brown or black.[3]
The northern viscacha is native to central and southern Peru and northern Chile, and may also be present in the area around Lake Titicaca in Peru and Bolivia. Its altitude range extends from 300 to 5,000 m (980 to 16,400 ft) above sea level. It makes its home in crevices in the rock and is found in various habitats where suitable rocky outcrops are found.[1] Most populations occur between the tree line and the snow line, but the distribution is patchy with the animal being common in some localities and absent in others even though the habitat seems equally suitable.[3]
The northern viscacha is a herbivore and feeds on a variety of plant material, including grasses, roots, and seeds.[4] Breeding usually takes place during October and November. A litter usually consists of a single pup born after a gestation period around 140 days. The young is weaned when about 8 weeks old.[1]
It is preyed on by the Andean mountain cat (Leopardus jacobitus), the colocolo (Leopardus colocolo), and the culpeo (Lycalopex culpaeus) in high-altitude desert regions.[5] The northern viscacha is more often found on larger, steeper portions of cliffs. This preference is probably driven by a need to avoid predators, as land-based carnivores are more easily evaded on a steep slope. It rarely ventures far from rocks, as these provide a means of escaping from both aerial and terrestrial predators.[6]
The northern viscacha is common within suitable habitat in its range. The population size is relatively stable, and although it is hunted locally for food, no other significant threats have been identified, so the IUCN lists the species as being of Least Concern in its Red List of Threatened Species.[1]
Vizcachas, Chicla city, Huarochiri, Lima, Peru
Vizcachas, photos taken near Chicla city, road to Neveria Lagoon, Lima, Peru
The northern viscacha (Lagidium peruanum) is a species of viscacha, a rodent in the family Chinchillidae. It is known from Peru and Chile, at elevations from 300 to 5000 m, and may also be present in Bolivia.
