Temperament: Calm, friendly, slightly shy and very intelligent. Sound: Just a gentle hum, however, when they are upset or frightened they can make a shrill alarm sound. Below are the general characteristics of a llama:Īverage Life Span: 15 – 20 years Average Gestation: 331 – 359 days Number of Offspring: Usually single births Weaning: 5 – 6 months Average Weight: 200 – 400 lbs Average Height: 4 feet – 4 feet 5 inches at shoulder height – 5 feet – 5 feet 6 inches at head height. Their tail is short and their fibre is long, woolly and soft. Feet are narrow, the toes being more separated than in the camels, each having a distinct plantar pad. Llama ears are rather long and slightly curved inward, characteristically known as banana shaped. At birth, a baby llama (called a cria) can weigh between 20 pounds (9 kilograms) to 30 pounds (14 kilograms). Llamas can weigh approximately between 280 pounds (127 kilograms) and 450 pounds (204 kilograms). The height of a full-grown, full-size llama is between 5.5 feet (1.6 metres) to 6 feet (1.8 metres) tall at the top of the head. In South America llamas are still used for beasts of burden, fibre production and meat. Llamas were used as a pack animal by the Incas and other natives of the Andes mountains. The most apparent visual difference between llamas and camels is that camels have a hump or humps and llamas do not. Alpacas also have a more luxurious wool than llamas. The term Llama is sometimes used more broadly, to indicate any of the four closely related animals that make up the South American branch of the family Camelidae: the true llama, the vicuña, alpaca and guanaco.ĭifferentiating characteristics between llamas and alpacas are that llamas are larger and have more elongated heads. As of 2007, there were over 7 million llamas and alpacas in South America and due to importation from South America in the late 20th Century there are now over 100,000 llamas and 6,500 – 7,000 alpacas in the US and Canada.
By the end of the last ice-age (10,000 – 12,000 years ago) camelids were extinct in North America.
Llamas migrated to South America and Asia about 3 million years ago. The llama (Lama glama) is a large camelid that originated in North America about 40 million years ago.
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