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THESE
ARE MY TWO LLAMA GIRLS JUST AFTER A SMALL ICE
STORM IN NOVEMBER. THEY WEAR "FLAGS" BECAUSE IT'S HUNTING SEASON. ATHENA LOOKS BLACK IN THE PICS, BUT SHE'S DARK BROWN. SHE IS FRIENDLY AND EAGER TO PLEASE. DELPHI IS THE "BLONDE" IN THE REAR. SHE IS SHYER WITH PEOPLE, ALTHOUGH SHE'S THE MORE DOMINANT OF THE TWO. SHE IS ALSO "SHOW-QUALITY." |
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LLAMAS ARE PACK ANIMALS FROM THE HIGH MOUNTAINS OF SOUTH AMERICA. THEY HAVE BEEN DOMESTICATED FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS. ARCHAEOLOGISTS BELIEVE THAT SOUTH AMERICAN PEOPLE TAMED LLAMAS BEFORE "OLD WORLD" NATIVES TAMED SHEEP & CATTLE. LLAMAS WERE SO VALUABLE TO THE SOUTH AMERICANS THAT INCA NOBILITY PROCLAIMED THEM PROPERTY OF THE STATE, AND LLAMA BREEDERS WERE STATE EMPLOYEES, PAID WELL FOR PRODUCING SUPERIOR ANIMALS. LLAMAS WERE THE TRACTOR-TRAILERS AND RAILROAD TRAINS OF THE ANCIENT SOUTH AMERICAN ECONOMY. THEIR REMARKABLY CALM DISPOSITION AND STRONG HERD INSTINCT ALLOWED PACK TRAINS OF HUNDREDS OF LLAMAS TO BE MANAGED BY ONLY A FEW HANDLERS. LLAMAS ARE AS SURE-FOOTED AS MOUNTAIN GOATS, AND THEIR FEET ARE LESS HARMFUL TO DELICATE ALPINE AND WOODLAND ENVIRONS THAN ARE HOOFED ANIMALS. THIS IS BECAUSE THEIR FEET ARE MORE LIKE MOCCASINS WITH 2 TOENAILS ON THE FRONT. LLAMAS ARE DISTANTLY RELATED TO CAMELS, ALTHOUGH THEY DIVERGED MORE THAN 30 MILLION YEARS AGO, WHEN AFRICA AND SOUTH AMERICA SPLIT APART. LLAMAS ARE THE LARGEST SOUTH AMERICAN CAMELIDS. THE OTHERS ARE ALPACAS, GUANACOS, AND VICUNAS. ALPACAS FILL THE ECOLOGICAL NICHE OF SHEEP. ALPACAS ARE THE MOST CLOSELY RELATED TO LLAMAS. GUANACOS AND VICUNAS ARE WILD, LIKE DEER.
This is my friend Dave's llama, wearing a pack saddle that distributes the weight evenly over his back, so's to prevent physical strain. |
