Sound View Farm: Llamas

This is the first in the Sound View Farm series. I though I would start with our fan favorite, llamas.

Bilbo, Sound View’s llama

Guanaco Photo:Wikipedia

Where do llamas come from?

Llamas come from South America. They are in the camelid family and are therefore related to camels. The llama’s ancestors were thought to have been in North America 40 million years ago and migrated to South America 3 million years ago. They were domesticated in the Peruvian Andes 4-5 thousand years ago. Domestication is the process of taming and breeding animals for use as a pet or for having on a farm. There are no true llamas in the wild. They were domesticated from an animal called a Guanaco which still exists in the wild in South America. The Vicuña is another South American camelid that exists in the wild. It is smaller than the Guanaco and is thought to be where Alpacas came from. These animals were and continue to be very important to the people of Peru and surrounding countries. Llamas came to the US in the late 1800’s and were mainly in zoos.

Why were llamas domesticated?

Llamas served many uses for the people who domesticated them and they continue to serve many of these uses today. The one that many people think about is their fur. A llama’s wool is water resistant, lightweight and very warm. It has been used in making clothing, bags, rope, decorations and more for over 6 thousand years and is still used today. Another reason llamas were domesticated is that they can carry packs for long distances. They are the only animal in South America that is able to do so. They can hold somewhere between 25-30% of their own body weight. They can weigh somewhere between 200-400 lbs so may be able to carry around 100lbs. If you give them more than they can carry, however, your llama may just lie down and refuse to move. They are also good on their feet and can navigate difficult mountain terrain. Llamas are also occasionally used for meat. Their poop makes great fertilizer and can be used a fire fuel when dried. Llamas are also very smart and today they are often used to help protect other animals on a farm.

Modern Pack Llama Photo: www.jnkllamas.com

Photo: www.shagbarkridge.com

Llama spit?

Yes, llamas do spit when they are annoyed but they will use their body language before they resort to spitting. If a llama does not want to be bothered it will simply put its ears back and walk away. If they are more agitated, they may raise their head or stomp a foot. Spitting is mainly used toward other llamas because it is more about the social hierarchy in a herd. Llamas will also often regurgitate their food, chew it, and re-swallow it. This is because they have a stomach with 3 compartments and the cud that they regurgitate needs to be broken up before it can be digested more. This way of digesting helps llamas get as much nutrients as possible out of the plants that they eat. If a llama is really annoyed it can spit some digested food from one of its stomach compartments. So, be respectful of the llama’s body language!