LLAMAS GUANACOS VICUNAS ALPACAS

GUANACO

The four species of cameloid live on the high plateaux and grasslands of South America. They have no humps and look like lanky, long-necked sheep.

ALPACA

The guanaco and vicuna are wild but llama and alpaca domesticated. Smaller than camels they have slender legs and their diet is grass. They are adapted to high altitude and the rugged Andes.

The toe pad of the cameloids are not as wide as the camels and there is no web between them. They can be moved separately and make it more sure-footed in the rough terrain.

Like camels, cameloids are resilient to draught conditions. They also produce small amount of urine and very dry dropping. They eat thorny and dry vegetation and chew the cud.

Cameloids breed when the rich summer flush of plants is plentiful.

They have tusk-like canines in both jaws, like camels, but upper incisor is hooked and sharp and used in fights.

The animals have adapted to the high Andes where there is less oxygen to breath. Cameloids have a very high level of oxygen-carrying red blood cells. Vicula has 14million per cubic millimetre of blood in comparison to human’s 5 million.

VICUNA

Vicuna, 50kg, is tawny coloured with a long woolly coat. It grazes on arid alpine grasslands between 3700 and 4500m and therefore needs to drink.

Inca kings worn fine robes made from soft, golden fleece from wild vicuna. Recently, they had been slaughtered for their wool and by 1965 only 6000 remained.  Their numbers are now increasing.

GUANACO

Guanaco is larger, weighs 100kg and more widely spread.

Guanaco and vicuna have a dominant male ruling over several females and their offspring. During breeding season, they become aggressive and fight vicious battles.

The llama and alpaca were very important to the economy of the Incas. It is thought that they were bred from wild guanacos. For 4000 years cameloids had been domesticated in the Andes. They are still kept for milk, meat, wool and leather. Their droppings are used for fuel.

Llamas are used and excellent pack animals to transport goods over rough mountain paths.  Only castrated males are being used. Females and a few males are for breeding purposes.