Llama

The Llama. Ahh the mighty Llama, is it not the most grandous creature to walk the face of the earth? If it is not then I am mistaken, for whenever I hear its mournfull call ring out over my small apalachian town I cant help but imagine the armys of Llamas fighting back against the oppesive swarms of hell sent Pandas.

Twill be a gloryous day when the Pandas are wiped from the face of our earth and replaced by Llamas...

This thing is telling me that »llama« is a »hotly discussed topic all over the world«, but you know, I'm not too sure about that. There is a debate, however, between those who favour camels and those who prefer llamas. Camels have a reputation for spitting, but camel-lovers say that this is undeserved by their beloved humped animals. They say that llamas are the culprit, that those are the bad-tempered animals known for spitting. But llama advocates claim that this is not true, and they blame camels.

Who's right in this earth-shattering debate? We'll never know for certain. Just don't piss off any camels or llamas.

The llama, the guanaco, the vicuña, and the alpaca are all closely related animals. The llama and the alpaca both have been domesticated while the guanaco and the vicuña remain wild.

These four species do not belong to same genus. The llama and the guanaco belong to the genus Lama, while the vicuña and the alpaca belong to the genus Vicugna. Both genera belong to the tribe Lamini in the family Camelidae.

The alpaca has recently been reclassified. Previously, the alpaca was thought to descend from the llama. Studies of alpaca DNA revealed that the alpaca descended from the vicuña (Wheeler et al., 2001).

What should I feed my llama?
LLamas are a modified ruminant with a three compartment stomache. They chew cud like cattle and sheep. Because of a realatively low protein requirement due to there efficiet digestive systems, they can be kept on a variety of pastures and hay. One llama eats approximately 4 bales of hay per month.

How do llamas communicate?
Llamas communicate with a series of ear, body, and tail postures, as well as a shrill alarm and a humming sound.

the lovely warmth of the alpaca's wool.
the alpaca is a similar creature to a llama