Mammals · Camelidae

Llama

Lama glama

Domesticated

The llama and alpaca are only known in the domestic state, and are variable in size and of many colors, being often white, brown, or piebald — some are grey or black. The guanaco and vicuña are wild, the former being endangered, and of a nearly uniform light-brown color, passing into white below. Llamas are members of the Camelid family and are domesticated from guanacos.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Artiodactyla

Family: Camelidae

Genus: Lama

Other names: Guanaco, Alpacas

Size

5.1 to 6.6 feet long and weigh 176 to 265 lbs. Stand 3.6 to 3.8 feet at the shoulder; males tend to be slightly larger than females.

Habitat

Found in desert, savanna, scrubland, and forest. Llamas migrated to South America and took up residence in the Andean Mountains, where they became domesticated.

Description

Comes in a variety of colors, from white to black and many shades of gray, beige, brown, red, and roan in between. Can be solid, spotted, or marked in a wide variety of patterns.

Diet

Herbivores that forage for plants and food.

Gestation

11.5 months.

Birth

A single baby at a time; newborns weigh 15 to 33 lbs at birth.

Sexually Mature

Females at 2 years of age; males at 1 year of age.

Life Span

20 to 30 years.

Did You Know?

Andean natives raised guanacos for wool, meat, and skin and also used them as pack animals.