Lamas
Llamas belong to the group of so-called New World camels, which, unlike Old World camels, do not have humps. They are descended from the wild guanaco and were domesticated by the Andean peoples as early as the 3rd millennium BC, mainly as pack animals, but also as sources of meat, wool, leather, and fat. The llama was therefore of outstanding importance: at the time of the Spanish conquest of South America, the Incas and their allied peoples kept around ten million llamas.
No longer just pack animals, llamas are still welcome hiking companions today, where they impress with their friendly, curious, and gentle nature. Carrying a pack saddle evenly filled with up to 15 kg is no problem, and they clearly enjoy multi-day tours in the high mountains – after all, our barren high mountain landscapes resemble their original home, the Andes. In addition to their function as pack animals, their wool is also processed. It is usually not quite as fine as that of alpacas, but it has the same properties and is also climate-regulating and anti-allergenic.
They are also popular in animal-assisted therapy due to their gentle nature. While training for both humans and animals is mandatory for work in animal-assisted therapy, “hobby animals” must also be trained for hiking and interacting with people, as llamas are naturally flight animals – curious, but always keeping a safe distance. Animals that voluntarily approach you and even give you “kisses” are often poorly trained – which is not so bad in female animals, but can become a big problem in adult males if you are no longer seen as a human being but as a competitor.
The preconception that llamas spit is not true, or only true to a limited extent. Spitting is a form of nonverbal communication within the herd. It is mostly used among themselves to resolve disputes or clarify the pecking order. In this way, one llama points out to another that it has gone too far – whether in terms of food, space, or social interactions. So if a llama suddenly spits at a human being out of nowhere, there is a 99% chance that it is a poorly trained or incorrectly socialized animal.
If you would like to learn more about llamas, please feel free to contact us and/or even attend our 2-day intensive course (where you will learn everything there is to know about New World camelids, both in theory and in practice).
No longer just pack animals, llamas are still welcome hiking companions today, where they impress with their friendly, curious, and gentle nature. Carrying a pack saddle evenly filled with up to 15 kg is no problem, and they clearly enjoy multi-day tours in the high mountains – after all, our barren high mountain landscapes resemble their original home, the Andes. In addition to their function as pack animals, their wool is also processed. It is usually not quite as fine as that of alpacas, but it has the same properties and is also climate-regulating and anti-allergenic.
They are also popular in animal-assisted therapy due to their gentle nature. While training for both humans and animals is mandatory for work in animal-assisted therapy, “hobby animals” must also be trained for hiking and interacting with people, as llamas are naturally flight animals – curious, but always keeping a safe distance. Animals that voluntarily approach you and even give you “kisses” are often poorly trained – which is not so bad in female animals, but can become a big problem in adult males if you are no longer seen as a human being but as a competitor.
The preconception that llamas spit is not true, or only true to a limited extent. Spitting is a form of nonverbal communication within the herd. It is mostly used among themselves to resolve disputes or clarify the pecking order. In this way, one llama points out to another that it has gone too far – whether in terms of food, space, or social interactions. So if a llama suddenly spits at a human being out of nowhere, there is a 99% chance that it is a poorly trained or incorrectly socialized animal.
If you would like to learn more about llamas, please feel free to contact us and/or even attend our 2-day intensive course (where you will learn everything there is to know about New World camelids, both in theory and in practice).
| Family | Camelidae |
| Order | Artiodactyla |
| Suborder | Tylopoda |
| Origin and distribution | Originally at home in the South American Andes; today they are found almost all over the world |
| Habitat | High mountain pastures, semi-desert areas, savannas, grasslands, veldt |
| Diet | Grass, moss, lichen, fresh and dry leaves and hay |
| Behavior | Social herd animal |
| Life expectancy | Up to 20 years |
| Weight | 120 to 150 kg |
| Height at the withers | Up to 120 cm, sometimes even 130 cm |
| Coat colors | Plain white, brown and black, spotted or patterned |
| Breeds | light (Classic), medium or dense wool (Wooly), Suri |
| Gestation period | 330-360 days |
| Foals | 1 per year |
| Characteristics | No hump; soft padded feet with two toes (Tylopoda); upper lip is split in two halves; banana shaped ears |
