THE LLAMA ALPACA VICUNA AND GUANACO Llama Lama

THE LLAMA, ALPACA, VICUNA, AND GUANACO. Llama: Lama glama Alpaca: Vicugna pacos Guanaco: Lama guanaco Vicuna: Vicugna

LLAMA, GUANACO, ALPACA, AND THE VICUNA

THE LLAMA: TERMINOLOGY v. Male Llama: Male v. Female Llama: Dam v. Baby Llama: Cria

LLAMA: TERMINOLOGY CONTINUED Names of llama body parts: 1 ears – 2 poll – 3 withers – 4 back – 5 hip – 6 croup – 7 base of tail – 8 tail – 9 buttock – 10 hock – 11 metatarsal gland – 12 heel – 13 cannon bone – 14 gaskin – 15 stifle joint – 16 flank – 17 barrel – 18 elbow – 19 pastern – 20 fetlock – 21 Knee – 22 Chest – 23 point of shoulder – 24 shoulder – 25 throat – 26 cheek or jowl – 27 muzzle

LLAMA: INFORMATION v Llama is South American Camelid that no longer exists in the wild. They are/were widely used for meat, their wool, and as a draft animal. A full-grown llama is 5. 5 -6 ft tall and can weigh anywhere from 280 -450 lbs. The lifespan of a llama with proper care is 20 -30 years and llama are social animals that live in herds. They are fairly intelligent and learn simple tasks through frequent repetition. When used as pack animals llamas can carry 20%-30% of their body weight 5 -8 miles.

LLAMA: BEHAVIOR v Llamas are very well known for their spitting, which only occurs if they were overly cared for when bottle-fed or they are agitated or frightened. If a llama is cared for and reared properly, spitting will rarely happen as the llama does not treat you as it would a fellow llama. Llamas in their social hierarchy show dominance through spitting and kicking. The social ladder in a llama herd is always changing as small fights (typically between males) help keep the ladder fluxuating. Humming is used between the herd as communication.

LLAMA: FUN FACTS v To determine the anger of a llama, check the contents of the spit, the more chunky it is, the further back the llama got the spit from. The further is got it from, the angrier it was. v Llamas have a three chambered stomach. v Llama are used as guard animals for sheep, goats, and other livestock. Often gelded males or females are used for this. v The llama sex sound produced by the male is an orgle.

THE GUANACO

GUANACO THE ORIGIN OF THE LLAMA. v The guanaco is a South American Camelid that frequents open dry areas and is the ancestor of the llama. The llama is the domestic version of the guanaco and is not found in the wild. The domestication of the guanaco was originally for use as a pack animal, but served the mesoamerican people with its wool and meat.

THE GUANACO: WHERE IT IS FOUND

GUANACO: INFORMATION The guanaco is just under 4 ft in height and weighs up to 265 lbs. The male is larger than the female and their babies are called chulengos. Their feet are squishy and have two pads that help grip rocky ground. They have long eyelashes to help keep dust out of their eyes. Guanacos are very strong swimmers and can reach speeds of up to 40 mph.

GUANACO: FUNNISH FACTS v The guanaco can spit up to 6 ft away and is used to communicate. v The guanacos dung is used to mark territory.

THE ALPACA: INFORMATION v The alpaca originates from the vicuna and is larger than the vicuna. The alpaca does not exist in the wild. The alpaca cannot be used as an efficient pack animal, thus being bred for fiber and meat. Alpaca meat is considered a delicacy in some countries. The alpaca is 2 x smaller than the llama and weighs 105 -185 lbs. There are two breeds of alpaca, the Suri and Huacaya.

THE ALPACA: FUN FACTS v A llama and alpaca hybrid is the huarizo and is known for its gentle disposition and amazing fiber.

VICUNA: INFORMATION v The vicuna is typically smaller than the guanaco reaching 5 ft at the head and 3 ft at the withers. They weigh less than 150 lbs. In much respect, they are almost exactly the same as guanacos except that they are smaller and are a different species.

VICUNA: FUN FACTS v Vicuna can only be shorn once every three years and must be wild caught. v The Inca prized Vicuna highly. v Vicuna fiber is extremely fine and creates a soft and warm coat.

VICUNA: WHERE IT IS FOUND

TWO MORE ANIMALS!!!!

THE OCCELATED TURKEY v The Occelated Turkey is the only other species of turkey besides the Wild Turkey that resides in North America. The Occelated Turkey is smaller than the smallest subspecies of turkey and can reach up to 8 lbs-15 lbs depending on the sex. Their coloring is similar to the peacock. The female lays 8 -15 eggs in a well concealed nest and the babies are precocial, able to leave the nest after one night.

WHERE IT IS FOUND

THE CHINCHILLA v There are two species of chinchilla, the long-tailed chinchilla and the short-tailed chinchilla. The species are both very similar except that the short-tailed chinchilla is exploited highly for its fur and the domestic chinchilla is thought to originate from the long-tailed chinchilla. Both species are Endagered- Critically Endangered in the wild. The chinchilla is only 10 in-15 in and weighs 30 oz or so.

CHINCHILLA FUN FACTS v Chinchillas can jump up to 6 ft. v The chinchillas are named after the Chincha people of the Andes who loved wearing their fur. v Chinchillas dust bathe in volcanic rock. v Chinchillas cannot sweat so temperatures of 80 F can overheat them.