Llamas, as well as alpacas, vicuñas, and guanacos, are native to South America. They originated in North America many millions of years ago during the Pliocene Era. About 3 million years Before Present, some went into Asia and became the dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) and bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) and others went into South America and became the wild guanaco (Lama guanacoe) and wild vicuña (Lama vicugna or Vicugna vicugna). The lama species died out in North America about 10,000-12,000 years ago, possibly as a result of man hunting them for food. Llamas (Lama glama) and alpacas (Lama pacos) were domesticated from their wild relatives about 6,000-7,000 years ago.

The scientific classification of the lama species is as follows: Class Mammalia (they nurse their young), Order Artiodactyla (even-toed animals, they have 2 toes per foot), Suborder Ruminantia (they are modified ruminants and chew their cud), Infraorder Tylopoda (they have padded feet), Family Camelidae (part of the camel family), and then broken into Tribes: Lamini (lamas) and Camelini (camels). The genus classification for llamas, alpacas, guanacos, and vicuñas is Lama and the genus classification for camels is Camelus.

Llamas were domesticated as pack animals and alpacas were domesticated for their fine fiber. When the Spanish went into South America in 1532, they conquered the native population and replaced the lamas with European animals. In the time of the Incas, there were 23 million lamas in South America. Today, there are only about 3.5 million, a result of the Spanish take over.

Lamas (all 4 breeds, the people of North America made no distinction between them) were first brought into the United States in the 1870’s as an exhibit in zoos on the Eastern Coast. William Randolph Hearst had a small herd of lamas in the 1920’s, which were sold to Roland Lindemann at the Catskill Game Farm in 1949. Mr. Lindemann continued to be a prime force in lama acquisition for many years to come. Richard Patterson, a prime force in the lama industry, started a herd of guanacos in 1958 as a draw to his Arabian horse business. In the 1970’s, he replaced his guanacos with llamas and over a 30-year period, purchased 109 llamas from Roland Lindemann and the Catskill Game Farm. Most of the present day llamas are from the Hearst herd/Catskill Game Farm stock.

The average life span of the llama is 15-20 years of age.

Llamas weigh between 250-500 pounds when full grown. Alpacas are a somewhat smaller animal, averaging 130 pounds in weight when full grown.

Llamas are a modified ruminant. They have a 3-chambered stomach and chew their cud. They are both browsers (eat trees and leaves) and grazers (eat grass).

Llamas have a soft pad on the bottom of their foot. This foot makes them very gentle on the environment. They are very sure-footed, having had to navigate the Andes Mountains in South America. They love to go for walks.

Llamas are vocal: they will hum, give an alarm cry, and the males sometimes scream at each other when fighting. The position of the tail, neck, and ears are also used for communication.

Llamas eat hay. Some companies, such as Blue Seal Feeds, Agway, and Purina, make a llama grain to get the correct nutrition into the animal. Llamas are given a free choice salt and mineral supplement and fresh water daily.

Llama manure is practically odorless and is excellent as a soil enhancer for gardens and plants.

Llamas do spit, generally at food time to warn off other llamas and to establish their dominance in the pecking order of the herd. A female llama will spit at the male llama when she is pregnant to prevent him from mating with her again. Llamas do not usually spit at people; the ones that do have been mishandled or mistreated. They will also spit when given medical treatment such as injections (it hurts!).

Llamas must be kept in pairs. They are a social animal and need at least one other llama for companionship. Any combination of llamas is good to keep: 2 females, 2 males, 2 geldings, a male and a female, a male and a gelding, a female and a gelding.

Llamas are gentle creatures. They are very intelligent and learn a task in 2-5 repetitions. They will remember the task forever! Even a breeding male llama is gentle around adults and children.

Llamas give birth once a year. They have one baby at a time twins are very rare. The gestation period for a llama is 11.5 months (350 days) and for an alpaca is 11.0 months. They are induced ovulators: the female will produce an egg to be fertilized about 24-36 hours after a breeding session. The male will breed a female llama from 15 minutes to an hour and makes a sound called orgling during the mating process.

Llamas are private animals and like to give birth alone. They usually have one baby at a time and twins are very rare. The baby llama is called a cria and is up and running within a half hour of birth. The cria can weigh 18-35 pounds at birth. The cria needs to nurse as soon as possible after birth, but the owner should not panic if the baby is healthy and sits for a couple of hours before trying (I’ve had this happen a couple of times). The first milk produced by the mother is called colostrum and is produced only in the first 24 hours after birth. The colostrum contains the antibodies necessary for the cria to fight off germs within the first few months of life. Baby llamas are usually weaned at about 6 months of age. Llamas are full grown at about 4 years of age.

Llamas are used for therapy. They will go into nursing homes and go bed to bed and greet the patients. They go into schools and educate the children. They can be trained for backpacking and, when full-grown and in shape, can carry 80-100 pounds. They can be trained to pull carts. They are used as golf caddies on golf courses. They are fun to dress up in costumes and walk in parades. Their fiber is great for spinning, weaving, knitting, felting, and other uses. Their manure (fertilizer) is great for plants and gardens. And they do not require much care at all!