loveable llamas

Why do I love llamas - because they are awesome !!! Here's some info on llamas . . .

Llamas are members of the camel (camelid) family. Originating in the Central Plains of North America about 10 million years ago, the llama predecessors migrated to South America around 2.5 million years ago. Its cousin, the camel , relocated to the Middle East and other regions of the world. The end of the Ice Age 10,000 to 12,000 years ago marked the extinction of the camelid in North America.

Llamas were domesticated from the guanacos of the Andean highlands of Peru 5,000 to 6,000 years ago and are among the world's oldest domestic animals. While primarily a beast of burden for the native herdsmen, llamas also provided them with meat, wool, hides for shelter, manure pellets for fuel, and became sacrificial offerings to their gods.


peruvian llama by cardart
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Today there are an estimated 7 million llamas and alpacas in South America. In the United States and Canada there is an estimated 65,000 llamas , 7,000 alpacas and 200 guanacos. Llamas have international appeal, with countries such as New Zealand augmenting their fiber industry with llama and alpaca wool. As in ancient times, the llama today is important to the agricultural economy of the remote highlands of Argentina, Bolivia, Chili and Peru.

Click here to read more on wikipedia.