Lama guanaco - description of the animal, interesting facts, photos and videos. Guanaco American Llama

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LLAMA(Lama), a genus of humpless South American animals of the camelid family (Camelidae) of the order Artiodactila. Despite the lack of a hump, llamas have many common features with camels: canine-shaped incisors in the upper jaw, calloused pads on the soles of cloven hooves (adaptation to rocky soil), ambling and features of chewing cud, which the animal spits when angered.

Lama

(L.glama) America's only native species used as beasts of burden. It is domesticated ca. 1000 BC Incas in what is now Peru.

The height of an adult male at the withers is 120 cm. The neck is long and thin, the head is relatively small, usually raised high, the ears are high and pointed. Domestic llamas have soft, shaggy fur, middle length; color varies from pure white to black-brown and piebald.

The ancestors of the lamas lived on the high plateaus in the Andes. This species is still used to transport heavy loads over ridges along paths inaccessible to modern transport. Only males are loaded: one animal carries 2745 kg per day over a distance of approx. 24 km. If the pack is too heavy, the llama stops and sits down: no punishment will make her strain: she will simply spit stinking gum in the face of the annoying driver.

Female llamas are used only for breeding: they are never milked or loaded. Mating season is in September. After a pregnancy lasting 10-11 months, one calf is usually born. Its mother feeds it with milk for six weeks, and llamas reach sexual maturity at three years.

The Incas ate the meat of males, but only on special occasions, and females were never slaughtered. During religious holidays male cubs were sacrificed to the gods. Supreme God Viracocha was supposed to be brown, the lightning god Ilyapa was supposed to be piebald (to match the color of the stormy sky), and the sun god Inti was supposed to be white.

The oldest known ancestors of llamas and camels appeared approximately 40 million years ago in North America, from where they spread across the isthmuses to South America and Asia. By the end of the Pleistocene (about 1 million years ago), all North American camelids became extinct.

Alpaca

(L. pacos) a domestic animal bred by the Incas approximately 3,000 years ago as a source of wool. Nowadays, herds of alpacas of 100200 heads are kept mainly by Peruvian Indians on the high plateaus of the Andes. Externally, the animals resemble sheep. The fleece reaches a length of 60 cm; It produces a fabric highly valued throughout the world for its softness, insulating properties and durability.

Alpacas are slender, lightly built, with narrow pointed ears, a short shaggy tail, long legs and long neck y. Height at withers approx. 90 cm, color varies from piebald to yellowish-brown. Offspring are born in February March; newborns are covered with fur, sighted, and within a few minutes they rise to their feet and begin to suckle their mother.

Attempts to breed alpacas in other regions have not brought significant success. Although the meat of the animals is very tasty, they are not slaughtered because alpacas are too valuable a source of wool.

Guanaco

(L. gaunico) is very close to the llama and alpaca and may be their ancestor. Domesticated guanacos are used as pack animals on the plains of Pampa and Patagonia (Argentina), in the mountains of Peru, Bolivia and Chile, as well as on the islands near Cape Horn. Wild herds can still be found in the inaccessible highlands, but their numbers have declined greatly in historical times.

The height of the guanaco at the withers is approx. 120 cm. He has a long head with large protruding and pointed ears. The skin is shaggy, yellowish-brown, gradually becoming ash-gray on the neck and head. The animal is graceful, resembling a deer or antelope in proportions, but with a more elongated neck. Guanacos are excellent swimmers: they have been seen swimming from island to island in the Cape Horn area.

Mating season in August September; after a pregnancy lasting 11 months, a single cub is born. The mother feeds him with milk for 6 weeks, but allows him near the udder for the same amount of time, despite the fact that he begins to consume plant food.

Guanaco meat is highly prized by the Indians. Whole piles of bones of these animals have been discovered in Patagonia, possibly the remains of their mass slaughter by the aborigines or early Spanish settlers.

On ranches in the Andes, guanacos are bred for their fur, which is used to make clothing and jewelry. It resembles fox and is used both natural and dyed. Newborn animals are slaughtered for smushki (skins), from which beautiful capes are sewn.

Vicuna,

or vigon ( Lama vicugna), the smallest species of the genus. It lives in the Andes up to 5200 m above sea level; the original range extended from Ecuador to Bolivia and Chile. Nowadays these are mainly domestic animals, but in some places wild herds remain.

Vicuñas have the same body proportions as other llamas, and the height at the withers is less than 90 cm. The animals roam in herds of 1012 females with young animals, headed by a leader male. He is constantly on guard and often watches the surrounding area from a high peak, emitting a shrill whistle at the first sign of danger.

The beautiful reddish fur of vicunas is formed by very thin and soft hair and is better in quality than chinchilla fur. Fleece produces excellent wool fabrics. Uncontrolled fishing has led to the almost complete extermination of the species in large parts of its range, and these animals are now strictly protected by the Peruvian government.

Niramin - Apr 29th, 2016

The llama lives in South America in the high Andes, preferring open spaces that provide the opportunity to quickly escape from predators.

Despite the fact that the llama is the closest relative of the camel, it looks quite peculiar and differs in many ways from this inhabitant of hot deserts. Characteristic feature The animal's characteristic feature is the absence of humps on its back. In addition, the llama is smaller in size and can have different coat colors, ranging from white to black-brown. The graceful animal most likely resembles a deer, but unlike it does not have antlers. The llama has a long neck, and on its small head there are erect, pointed ears.

These herd animals feed plant foods: grass, leaves and branches of trees and shrubs, as well as hay. Llamas kept in captivity happily eat apples, grains, carrots and everything that is given to goats.

Indians have long domesticated llamas and used them as pack animals on difficult mountain trails. Llamas are easy to train, but are able to show character if they are given an unbearable burden of more than fifty kg. In this case, the llama can resist in every possible way: spit, hiss, kick, or simply lie down and not budge until it is freed from the excessive load.

For transportation of luggage, they mainly use guanaco llamas, and alpaca llamas are kept for the sake of their thick and soft wool, from which the Indians make warm and comfortable clothes. It is interesting that for a long time the Indians used only males for economic purposes. The purpose of females is only to care for offspring.

A baby born after an eleven-month pregnancy is able to stand firmly on his feet within an hour and a half. The mother does not lick him because her tongue is too short, but shows her tenderness by lightly touching her baby with her nose and softly snoring at the same time.

See photo of the llama:

Photo: Llama teeth.

Video: LAMA / Lama glama / Rochechouart en Limousin! BRUITX

Video: Funny Llama Attack!!

Video: AWESOME Llama spit compilation #1

A short message about the llama will tell you about this mammal of the camelid family. Also, a report on the llama will help you prepare for class and improve your knowledge of biology.

WITH message about lama

Llamas belong to the camelid family of mammals. They were domesticated by humans a long time ago - about 6,000 years ago. The Andean Indians did this. In South America, llamas were the only animals that transported cargo. Before horses were brought to the continent, of course. They are best adapted to life in the highlands.

Description of the llama

Turning to history, you will be surprised - but the llama is an ancient animal. More than 40 million years ago they lived on the plains North America, and 3 million mammals migrated to South America and now live in the Andes. This slender animal is somewhat reminiscent of a deer: only the neck is longer and there are no horns on the head. The llama reaches a height of 1-2 meters and weighs up to 200 kg. The head is small, on which there are pointed, erect ears. The color of the animal is varied: from white to black and brown. A male llama can carry a pack of up to 50 kg and walk more than 25 km along mountain paths.

Today the genus of llamas has 2 varieties. The first is alpaca. They are smaller in size and slightly different in appearance. On average, an alpaca is 1 meter tall and weighs 70 kg. The fur is long and soft. They live in Ecuador, Northern Chile, Peru and Western Bolivia. They are bred for their wool. The second type of llama is the guanaco. They are wilder and live in the Andes at an altitude of more than 4,000 meters. Animals are unpretentious in food. The wool is thick and protects the guanaco from wind and cold. Strong muscles in the legs allow llamas to run about 50 km/h. Guanacos live in herds, in which there is only one male, young animals and up to two dozen females.

South American countries have adopted a number of laws that protect llamas. Most of them live in special nurseries, where they are fed and protected from predators (pumas). These animals are not an endangered species. They are actively bred and used in agriculture. Blankets are made from their wool, and their meat is used for food. The tanned llama skin is used to make clothing, and the animal's fat is used to make candles.

What do llamas eat?

Animals eat everything - hay, grass, branches and leaves. If they are kept in captivity, the llamas are fed oats, carrots, grain, and apples.

Llama breeding

Puberty of animals occurs at the age of 9-18 months. Mating occurs throughout the year. The female's pregnancy lasts a year. Every 2 years one baby is born weighing 8-16 kg. In the period August–September, battles between males for their ladies begin. They bite, spit, and engage in hand-to-hand combat.

Lama: interesting facts

• The llama has a special stomach structure - it consists of 3 compartments. Therefore, their body digests anything.
• Llamas defecate in one place, thus creating their own toilets.
• Female llamas are used only for breeding. They are not milked and are used as a beast of burden.
• The ancient Incas depicted the lama as a deity who guarded shepherds.
• Llamas spit when they want to drive away enemies.

We hope that the message about the llama helped you learn more about this amazing animal, which has long been domesticated by humans. You can leave your story about the lama using the comment form below.

Only they have some differences - somewhat smaller sizes and the absence of growths on the back in the form of humps in llamas. These mammals became domesticated about 6,000 years ago. The domestication of llamas occurred thanks to the Andean Indians.

Until horses appeared in South America, llamas were the only animals that helped people transport goods. Coming from America these days, llamas are found in many places terrestrial planet.

Thanks to their strength and endurance, they transport cargo in the most harsh conditions. Besides this, it is very valuable llama fur, It is used to produce fabrics, carpets and ropes. The Indians use llama skins to make their own National costumes.

Even the manure of these animals has a worthy use - it is used as fuel after it dries under sun rays. Many people eat llama meat and claim that it tastes best.

Some peoples use organs and sometimes even embryos of this particular animal to perform certain rituals. This is common reasons killing llamas. But such a massive destruction of data did not put it at risk complete disappearance.

In many situations they can stand up for themselves. Llamas, like camels, have a distinctive feature from all other animals of spitting at someone who is not pleasant to them, so you need to be more gentle with them and always be on the alert.

Features and habitat

On photo of llama Her incredible resemblance in appearance to a camel is clearly visible. This is a fairly large animal, whose height reaches up to 120 cm. Average weight an adult individual weighs about 200 kg.

The body of llamas is slender with a long neck, on which there is a small head with erect ears. The color of their coat is very diverse, ranging from white to dark brown.

These hardy animals are not afraid of long distances with a load of 50 kg on their back. Until the time when the nations South America horses, donkeys and mules all did not appear on the farm hard work llamas had their share of work in the mines, and they coped with it very well.

For mountain residents, this animal is now considered the only helper because only it can easily adapt to that environment and survive in mountain conditions. For a long time, only males have been loaded. Females serve only for procreation.

Interestingly, animals do not like overload. There's no way they're going to carry this on themselves. If the load is too heavy, they will simply stop and sit down. In this case, no actions of the driver will be able to influence them. And if you apply harsh measures to them at this moment or hit them with a whip, the offended animal may simply spit.

Reproduction and lifespan

In terms of puberty, there are some differences between males and females. Females are ready to bear fruit at 12 months of age. Males are ready for this only from 3 years old. There is no specific mating time for these animals.

Rituals are also alien to them. It is enough for a male to run after a female for 10 minutes to understand whether she is ready to mate or not. This kind of test of desire ultimately ends in mating, which results in pregnancy. It lasts about 11.5 months.

As a result, one baby is born. To a greater extent, this happens in the morning, and closer to night, the newborn calf can already be seen in the herd. These live no more than 30 years.

Nutrition

This unique animal is a herbivore. His favorite delicacy is grass and ferns wild environment. To feed the llama on the form, you will need to make hay. The animal eats a little. Daily norm An adult llama needs about 3 kg of hay.

It's not very picky Living being in everything, including food. If there is not enough grass, the llama will happily eat fruits, vegetables and even moss or lichen.

At home, livestock breeders observe that llamas prefer cabbage, carrots, and bread. Pregnant females need balanced diet. Food should be filling and high in calories.

Character and lifestyle

Llamas have excellent vision, smell and hearing. This helps them escape at the slightest danger. At a great distance they can detect the presence and approach of potential enemies in the form of coyotes or mountain lions.

People have learned to use this feature when grazing sheep, which lamas warn in advance about danger. As already mentioned, it is a social herd animal. Sometimes misunderstandings arise among them within the herd. Lamas solve them with spitting.

Intelligence and stubbornness are two main character traits of lamas. These animals are highly trainable. They are often used in a variety of performances, where llamas sometimes perform incredible tricks and miracles. They are obedient and unpretentious in their care. Llamas are peaceful with people who do not show aggression towards them.

Llama price

Buy a llama Nowadays it won't be too difficult. There are many livestock farms for their cultivation. Llama price varies within 150 thousand rubles for one adult.

Those who decide to take this step have never regretted it. After all, a lama is truly valuable in all respects. Llama fur coat, for example, this is exactly what any self-respecting woman needs.

It is beautiful, warm and does not cause allergies. Interesting feature llama wool is that when it gets into a humid environment it curls into beautiful curls, which significantly distinguishes it from the wool of other animals.

There are manufacturers who produce incomparable things and clothing items. One of these manufacturers is Lama Gold. The basis for all this is the priceless llama wool.

The world-famous manufacturer of women's fur coats also has a name associated with this amazing animal - Black Llama. Black Lama fur coat– this is something amazing, which is the dream of every representative of the fair sex. It is soft, delicate and with a velvet structure.

The llama is a mammal from the camelid family that has been domesticated for a long time. They have served people for over 6,000 years and were domesticated by the Andean Indians.

Before horses were brought to South America, the llama was the only animal used to transport goods.

These animals are best adapted to life in the highlands and therefore last years Llamas are used as pack animals not only in the Andes of South America, but also in the European Alps.

Description, features and lifestyle of the lama

There is probably no person in Russia who has not seen a camel. It doesn’t matter that they are rare in Russia. You can see them in any zoo, and in the south of our country you can see them in person. But few people know that camels have a relative who lives in South America and this relative is called Lama. True, these American “relatives” are different from their hunchbacked relatives. After all, the lama does not live in a hot desert, but high in the Andes mountains in South America. She does not have humps on her back, and she is smaller in size, but she looks much prettier in appearance.

This is a rather slender animal, somewhat reminiscent of a deer in appearance, but with a longer neck and without horns. Height at withers is from 1 to 1.3 meters. But thanks to the long neck, the head is at a height of about 2 meters. The head is small with erect, pointed ears. The length sometimes reaches 2 meters and can weigh up to 200 kg. The color of llamas is very diverse from white to black-brown.

An adult male llama can carry a pack of up to 50 kg, walking more than 25 kilometers along mountain trails per day. When the Spaniards ruled South America, llamas were used to work in mines, but then horses and donkeys were brought there and the entire burden of these works was transferred to them, and subsequently to mules. But even now the llama in the mountains is the only pack animal used by local residents.

By scientific research It is known that the llama is a very ancient animal. More than forty million years ago, llamas lived on the plains of North America, but about three million years ago they migrated to South America. The llama genus has two more varieties. This is an alpaca - an animal somewhat smaller in size and slightly different in appearance. The height of an alpaca is on average about 1 meter, and its weight is up to 70 kilograms. But alpaca wool is longer and softer. They live mainly in Peru, Ecuador, Northern Chile and Western Bolivia, where they are bred exclusively for their wool. Now their number is about 3 million individuals.

There is another species of these animals that is still wild - guanacos, small herds of which can be found in the Andes at an altitude of about 4000 meters.

The name "Guanaco" comes from "wanaku", which is what the Quechua Indians called these animals. The guanaco is ideally suited to live in these conditions. Their unpretentiousness in food and resistance to thirst allow them to exist freely in these far from ideal conditions. Their thick coat provides them with excellent protection from cold and piercing winds. And strong leg muscles allow you to run at incredible speeds, over 50 km/h. Guanacos live in herds, in which there is one male, one and a half, two dozen females and young animals. Guanacos live mainly in open areas, making it easier to escape from the most dangerous predator for them - the puma, as well as from snow leopard And maned wolf. Guanacos are about the same size as llamas. Length 120 - 180 cm, height up to 130 cm. weight up to 140 kg. Guanacos feed on plant foods. Life expectancy of guanacos natural environment habitat, about 20 years, but in captivity they can live up to 30 years.

For many years, wild guanacos were hunted for good warm fur and this threatened their complete extinction. But now a number of laws have been adopted in South American countries aimed at protecting these animals, and their population has begun to increase. Moreover, a large number of They are kept in special nurseries, where they are provided with food and protected from predators.

Llamas are not an endangered species; they are bred and actively used in agriculture. Beautiful blankets are made from llama wool, and the meat is used for food. The tanned hides and leather of llamas are used to make clothing, and candles are made from the fat.

Llamas eat almost everything: grass, hay, leaves and branches. And when they are kept in captivity, they are fed with other food: grain, oats, carrots, apples and everything that ponies and goats eat. Thanks to the special structure of the stomach, consisting of 3 compartments, the body of llamas can digest anything.

Llamas are still used by many people in South American countries. In villages there is rarely a house where this unpretentious animal is not present

Due to the fact that llamas are very easy to train, they are used with pleasure to participate in various performances. Despite their external clumsiness, llamas sometimes show miracles of training.

An interesting fact is that the ancient Incas had a certain deity - the guardian of the shepherds “Urcuchillay”. He was depicted as a multi-colored llama. The same images of a llama can be found in the ceramics of the Moche Indian culture, this is around the hundredth year BC.

And another very interesting thing is that any llama will not carry more than 50 kg of weight, regardless of its size and strength. It’s as if his body has biological built-in scales. It can carry a child or an adult, but not heavier than these 50 kilograms.