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Baby vicuna, Xoco, joins family

Baby vicuna or cria standing in the middle of a field full of grass and wild plants, with two adult vicuna either side of them and the screen. Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS)

Meet Xoco, the baby vicuna which was born at the Highland Wildlife Park in Scotland last month.

Keepers have said the cria - a term used for the babies of all South American camelids which also includes llamas and alpacas - was born on 18 June.

Her name means "little sister" or "the youngest child" in Nahuatl, an indigenous language spoken mainly in Mexico.

Vicunas are the smallest members of the camel family and are native to the high alpine areas of the Andes Mountains in South America.

Baby vicuna or cria standing in a field full of grass and wild plants, alongside one of the herd. They are looking at the camera. Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS)

Xoco will join the rest of the small vicuna herd already at the wildlife park in Kincraig.

As well as her parents Juanita and Austria, there's also Ozzy, Kantu, and Tupac.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) has said it's been seeing a "baby boom" recently in terms of new animal arrivals.

Two rare snow leopard cubs have recently been born at the Highland Wildlife Park, as well as Himalayan monals and red deer.

Edinburgh Zoo has also welcomed Bru the capybara, Snoot the giant armadillo and Atty the sloth.

Baby vicuna or cria nibbling at something in a field full of grass and wild plants. Copyright Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS)

Vinucas can be found in the wild across Peru Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.

There is also a smaller, introduced population living in the central Andes of Ecuador.

Although not as well known, vicunas are thought to be wild ancestor of domesticated alpacas.

Their fleeces are widely considered the finest and most expensive natural animal fibre in the world.

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