Llamas, Alpacas & Vicuñas  

 belong to the Camelidae family, which has 6 species worldwide. Two species, the well-known Arabian and Bactrian camels are found in the deserts of Asia and Northern Africa and four smaller ones on the South American continent, llama, alpaca, vicuña and guanaco. The first three species are found in Ecuador but all are domesticated or re-introduced species like the vicuña. All are ruminants with a three chambered stomach and even-toed.

All camelid species of South America are social animals living in larger groups with dominant males guarding the group. Vicuñas when approached give a bird like sound alerting other members and then moving collectively away from the intruder. They are also the only species which could not be successfully converted into domestic animals. Guanacos, on the other hand, are known sometimes to stay put out of curiosity, even when hunted. In a bad mood all species may spit at unwelcome guests. Female Llamas give birth every second year to one or rarely two offspring.

Llamas which are the largest species of the four South American camelids played an important role in the lives of the pre-Columbian societies (and still does nowadays). They and guanacos (from which they originated as a domestic form) were used in the last four millennia's by the indigenous people as pack animals. They can carry up to 90kg for several hours but they were never used for riding. Apart from being pack animals, the meat of females is (males' meat is too tough) eaten and their milk consumed. But their most significant economic use is their wool, which is used in the making of textiles. Other uses are their hide for tanning leather, tallow for making candles and their dried droppings for fuel.

The South American species originated from North America after the appearance of the Panama isthmus. On the North American continent they became extinct some 12 000 years ago, coinciding with the arrival of the first humans. It is therefore speculated that human hunting lead to that tragic event. In the Andes however they could survive although the same did happen in Ecuador, where the last wild herds were killed some one hundred years ago. Presently there exist only domesticated llamas and alpacas, used primarily for wool production. A wild herd of vicuñas from Chile was re-introduced into the Chimborazo Faunistic Reserve in the early 1990's, which fortunately does really well and increased significantly their numbers. 

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Mammal Vocabulary