Relatives of the Llama

Llamas are members of a family called the camelids. The camelid family consists of two subgroups, the Old World camelids and the New World camelids. New World camelids include the alpaca, llama, guanaco and vicuna, all of which are native to South America. The Old World camelids include the bactrian and dromedary camels from Asia. Camelids are identified by their large feet which have tough fleshy pads rather than the hooves of other herbivores.

  1. Alpaca

    • Alpaca are native to the Andes mountain region in South America. They have been domesticated by native people there for at least 5,000 years. The fleece of the alpaca makes a fine quality wool and grows in over 20 different shades of brown and gray. Alpaca live at high altitudes, up to 15,000 feet, on the sides of mountains and eat the sparse vegetation that grows there. Alpaca can survive in these harsh conditions because their stomach produces a secretion which allows the animal to extract more nutrients from its diet than other herbivores.

    Guanaco

    • Guanacos range from Peru to Pategonia where they live in mountainous regions and prairie lands. They live in small family groups, grazing primarily on grasses and leaves. Guanacos live at high altitudes where water can be sparse. They survive by extracting the moisture they need from the grasses they eat . Due their large size, weighing up to 265 lbs., the guanaco's only natural predator is the puma.

    Vicuna

    • Vicuna are native to the semi-arid grasslands of the central Andes. The smallest of the camelid family, a large vicuna weighs only 136 lbs. on average. The vicunas live in family groups that consist of a dominant male and a harem of up to 25 females with calves. The whole herd migrates from the mountains to feed on the lusher lowland grasses each day before returning the hills to sleep during the night. Hunters have poached the vicuna almost to extinction, seeking their soft fleece which is believed to make the finest wool in the world.

    Bactrian and Dromedary Camels

    • Bactrian camels have two humps on their back while the dromedary has only one. Both camels are native to central Asia with the dromedary found in the Arabian sands and the bactrian native to the Gobi desert. The camel's hump is a store of fat which is used when there is no food or water available. The hump allows the camel to travel long distances without water. When camels do find water, they are able to drink up to 30 gallons at a time. Only the bactrian camel still survives in the wild; the dromedary is now totally domesticated for use as a pack animal.