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The llama (/ ˈ l ɑː m ə /; Spanish pronunciation: or ) (Lama glama) is a domesticated South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since the pre-Columbian era. Llamas are social animals and live with others as a herd. Their wool is soft and contains only a small amount of lanolin. [2]
Estimates, as of 2016, place their numbers around 1.5 to 2 million animals: 1,225,000–1,890,000 in Argentina, 270,000–299,000 in Chile, 3,000 in Peru, 150–200 in Bolivia and 20–100 in Paraguay. This is only 3–7% of the guanaco population before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in South America.
Lama is a genus containing the South American camelids: the wild guanaco and vicuña and the domesticated llama, alpaca, and the extinct chilihueque.Before the Spanish conquest of the Americas, llamas, alpacas, and chilihueques were the only domesticated ungulates of the continent.
Llama (Lama glama) (domestic form of guanaco) 130 to 200 kg (290 to 440 lb) Guanaco (Lama guanicoe) South America about 90 to 120 kg (200 to 260 lb) Alpaca (Lama pacos) (domestic form of vicuña) 48 to 84 kg (106 to 185 lb) Vicuña (Lama vicugna) South American Andes: 35 to 65 kg (77 to 143 lb)
Perhaps one of the most prized uses of the llama was as a draft animal, as it could carry up to 40 kilograms in weight and move easily up the steepest heights. Llama caravans were mainly made up of males. For longer journeys, such as between the Collao and the coast, "new males" of about two years of age were preferred. The herd traveled from ...
Llama crias are typically born with the whole herd gathering around (only the females are present, as the males are considered a threat) in an attempt to protect against potential predators. Llamas give birth standing, and the process is usually relatively quick and problem-free, over in less than 30 minutes.
Alpacas were domesticated thousands of years ago. The Moche people of Northern Peru often used alpaca images in their art. [6] Traditionally, alpaca were bred and raised in herds, grazing on the level meadows and escarpments of the Andes, from Ecuador and Peru to Western Bolivia and Northern Chile, typically at an altitude of 3,500 to 5,000 metres (11,000 to 16,000 feet) above sea level. [7]
A huarizo, also known as a llapaca, is a hybrid cross between a male llama and a female alpaca. Misti is a similar hybrid; it is a cross between a male alpaca and a female llama. The most common hybrid between South American camelids, [ 1 ] huarizo tend to be much smaller than llamas, with their fibre being longer. [ 2 ]