Llamas
The llama is found primarily in South America; this domestic camelid has been used on farms in Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, and Chile for 4,000 thousand years, much like cows and oxen in our part of the world.
Used as a pack animal and highly prized for its fur and meat, it cannot, however, be ridden.
Did you know, for example, that its famous spit varies depending on how upset it is: if it’s slightly annoyed, it sprays its saliva like a mist; however, when it’s really angry, it spits—straight from its stomach—a greenish stream resulting from the decomposition of digested plant matter. Yuck!!! Don’t go and upset them!
Did you know?
Take a look at a llama’s feet: you won’t find hooves like those of a horse! Each foot has two toes with thick pads, a characteristic of camelids that allows them to move efficiently across various types of terrain.
Its body is also adapted to life at high altitudes. In particular, the llama has a high concentration of hemoglobin and oval-shaped red blood cells—characteristics that help it survive in the oxygen-poor air of the high Andean mountains.