Click here for more animal facts
-
Llamas are mammals.
-
Llamas are herbivores meaning they only eat plants.
-
Llamas eat grass, ferns and hay. They can eat up to 6 pounds of food a day.
-
Llamas only need to drink a small amount of water.
-
Llamas live in the Andes mountain region along the west coast of South America in the countries of Peru, Argentina, Bolivia and Chili.
-
It is believed that 40 million years ago llamas lived in North America. Then 3 million years ago the llamas started to migrate to South America. At the end of the last ice age between 10,000-12,000 llamas became completely extinct in North America.
-
You can now see llamas in Zoos and on some farms.
-
Llamas became domesticated animals in Peru 4,000-5,000 years ago. It is one of the world’s oldest domesticated animals.
-
Llamas are not found in the wild anymore. They are descendants of the wild guanaco.
-
Llamas are related to camels. One of the main differences between a llama and a camel is that a llama does not have a hump.
-
Llamas can live between 15-30 years.
-
Llama’s are tall and can grow to be 6ft.
-
A full grown llama can weigh between 280-500 pounds.
-
A llama’s feet have two toenails and a soft leather like pad on the bottom.
-
Llamas can carry 25%-30% of their body weigh.
-
Llamas are often used to carry loads.
-
Llamas are covered in wool not hair.
-
Their wool can be a variety of colors including gray, black, white and tan. Their wool can be a solid color or come in many patterns.
-
Llamas wool is used to make clothing. blankets, hats and scarves.
-
Some people eat llama meat.
-
Mother llamas are pregnant for 11 1/2 months.
-
They give birth standing up to usually one baby called a cria.
-
Crias weigh between 18-30 pounds when they are born.
-
A llama becomes full grown at 4 years old.
-
Llamas are social animals and live in groups called herds.
-
Llamas communicate with their tails, ears and sounds. Humming is a common sound llamas make.
-
Llamas have an excellent sense of smell, eyesight and hearing.
-
Llamas are smart animals and can be easily trained.
-
Llamas are known to spit when they feel threatened.
-
Predators to the llama are coyotes, pumas and humans.