Llama

la'ma, a beast of burden in the Andean region. The Ilama is the American representative of the camel, and, like the camel, it is known only as a domestic animal. It is supposed to be descended from the guanaco, a smaller animal. Wild guanacos are very watchful and shy. They live in flocks at great heights on the mountains, and seldom come down to the plains in search of food. The llama has no hump on its back. The toes are divided completely and are adapted to traveling in the mountains rather than on sandy plains. The llama is more slender and deerlike than a camel. The tame llama is somewhat stouter and heavier than its wild ancestors. It stands about three feet high at the shoulder, carrying its head at a height of five feet. Llamas are naturally of a pale, reddish brown color, but, like horses, undergo variation of color in domestication. Brown, black, and gray colors are common, with some mottled, some piebald, and a few white specimens. The llama is trained to carry burdens. Long strings of llamas are used in freighting across the Andes. The llama can carry only from 90 to 120 pounds, but it can climb rugged mountain sides where horses could not keep a footing. A llama train makes about twelve miles a day. The flesh of the llama is good for food. The hair is much used for rough clothing by the Indians. Llamas require little or no care. At night they are put into a pen; they sleep winter and summer without covering, and get their own food in the mountains at all times of the year. The llama is to the native of the Andes what the camel is to the Arabian and the reindeer to the Lapp. But with the introduction of railroads, roads, and bridges, the day of the llama as a beast of burden is passing away. See Alpaca; Camel