Llama

Modern Day Llama - Introduction ====Llama, or //Llama glama//, is a species of camelid. Found natively in South America, the Llama has been used over the centuries by the Andean people as a pack animal and a source of food. A typical llama can grow to approximately 1.7 metres to 1.8 metres tall (from the top of the head) and can weigh around 200 kilograms.====


 * Kingdom: || Animalia ||
 * Phylum: || Chordata ||
 * Class: || Mammalia ||
 * Order: || Artiodactyla ||
 * Family: || Camelidae ||
 * Genus: || //Lama// ||
 * Species: || **//L. glama//** ||

====The Llama is different from other of the camelid species due to its level of intelligence. It can be said that the Llama is a clever animal, often learning new domestic tasks with ease. Also, being a pack animal, the llama is a very social creature.====

====Llamas stand on four legs, and instead of having hooves they have two-toes on each foot which is more suited to the hardy Alpine environment (see Figure 1). They have a woollen coat that can be shorn and used to make clothing and other types of products for human use, The coat can vary in colours and shades, most common being white, brown or black. They are herbivores, feeding mainly on grasses but will also eat other types of shrubbery and hay.====

====Llamas have been domesticated for over five thousand years by the Peruvian people and still are today beasts of burden. They are still used as pack animals by the Andean people but are also used as show animals, livestock and as ‘family pets’ in many other countries such as the U.S, Canada and Australia.==== ====It’s close cousin, the //Lama guanicoe ,// otherwise known as the [|Guanaco], is a truly wild species that has not been domesticated, unlike the other close relative of the llama, the //Vicugna pacos// (the [|Alpaca]).====
 * Figure 1: Llama diagram ||



Habitat. ====The natural habitat of the llama is the semi-desert and scrubland areas of the Andean plains in South America. There is little water and limited food sources (grasses and other shrubbery). The habitat range spreads within South America; Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Chile and Argentina (see figure 3). The Andean mountain range is within these countries. There are no more llamas found in the wild as they have since all been domesticated. ====

====The range of food sources within the natural habitat includes the grasses, shrubs, and lichen on the open plains. There is no food source further up the mountain. As most llamas have been domesticated, much of the diet consists of various types of hay, grass and grain and the occasional apple, carrot, broccoli and orange peels. ==== ====As the Alpine plains are dry, cold and the soil is not very fertile only certain grasses will grow. These grasses are difficult for most animals to digest, but the llamas have adapted and can obtain much of their daily water needs from the plants they eat.==== ====<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">With living and thriving in such an extreme environment the llama has adapted accordingly and proven to be a hardy animal. That is why is has been favoured by the local human inhabitants for thousands of years. ==== ====Main predators to the llama in the wild include [|mountain lions] and [|snow leopards] .====

<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: normal;">Figure 3: The red highlighted shows the Llama's natural habitat.

Adaptations.

**Physiological Adaptation 1 – Oxygen circulation.**
====First of all, llamas have larger lungs which allow for more efficient oxygen to circulate through their body but llamas have one unique adaptation, different from that of any other camelid, that allows them to thrive in such high altitudes. A llamas blood contains more red blood cells, thus allowing more oxygen. With this combination of larger lung space and haemoglobin-rich blood, the llama is able to withstand the high altitudes of the Andes (see figure 4).====



====Llamas are what we call ‘modified’ ruminants, meaning that they will often regurgitate and redigest their food in order to gain all the necessary nutrients from it. Their stomach consists of three chambers; the rumen, the omasum and the abomasum. This effective adaptation means that the llama has little need for extra sources of protein, thus meaning it can live off what can be presumed as ‘low-protein’ plants (see figure 4).====



====Llamas have the adaptation of spitting as a defence mechanism. Although it is rarely used against other animals, llamas have two types of spit; one that is made up entirely of saliva. This is used by llamas as a non-dangerous way of keeping the pecking order, for example, a female llama will spit at younger males or other inquisitive llamas while pregnant.====

====The other type of spit a llama uses is one that is made up of a mixture of stomach content, laden with bacteria and other types of foul matter. This is usually used for defence against other llamas or when a fight breaks out between two male llamas.====

====The llama is a ‘two-toed camelid’ (like that of others of that family). This means that the llama does not have hooves like other herbivoric quadrupeds, but walks on a leathery-pad and has two-toes (along with toe-nails). This allows for more balance in the rocky Andean environment. Their feet have lesser impact on the environment that that of other hoofed animals, thus making them more adaptable to all types of environments.====

====Llamas have a thick, woollen coat that provides warmth for in the Andean mountain ranges. Their skin is rather sensitive so their coat must be long and thick enough to withstand the cold environment. Their coat consists of an overcoat and an undercoat, the former being much thicker than the latter but still quite fine. Their coat becomes matted over time, thus enabling extra warmth for the llama.====

Geographic. (n.d.). Llamas, Llama Pictures, Llama Facts - National Geographic. Animals, Animal Pictures, Wild Animal Facts - National Geographic. Retrieved June 23, 2011, from http://animals.nationalgeographic Graham, D., Reichert, T., & Conyngham, K. (n.d.). LlamaWeb: Llamas on the Internet!. LlamaWeb: Llamas on the Internet!. Retrieved June 23, 2011, from http://www.llamaweb.com/ N/A. (N/A). Llama Adpatations. Retrieved June 23, 2011, from Llama Adpatations: http://www.ci.manhattan.ks.us/DocumentView.aspx?DID=1455 Physiology of High Altitude Adaptations in Animals. (1999, November 28). Biology @ Davidson. Retrieved June 19, 2011, from http://www.bio.davidson.edu/Courses Llama. (1999, November 28). Biology @ Davidson. Retrieved June 26, 2011, from http://www.bio.davidson.edu/Courses
 * Llama Bibliography **