Abstract

Polydactylism, a genetic defect characterized by partial or complete duplication of the digit, has been described in a wide range of vertebrates. Among ungulates, polydactyly appears to be relatively common in domestic camelids, with reports in dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius), llama (Lama glama) and alpaca (Vicugna pacos). However, in wild South American camelids polydactyly has been reported only in a vicuña kept in a zoo (Vicugna vicugna), but not in wild populations. Here a finding of polydactyly in a free-ranging guanaco is described. We propose the hypothesis that this malformation has an atavistic-genetic origin. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.