Animal · Bolivia, Peru, Chile
Llama
Lama glama — the name this animal has in the language scientists everywhere share.
The llama is a domesticated relative of the camel that has helped Andean communities carry goods across South America's high mountains for thousands of years. It descends from the wild guanaco.
Picture credit: Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 3.0) · kallerna (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Ymblanter (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where does the llama live?
Home: High grasslands of the Andes Mountains in South America.
In the wild you find it in: Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Ecuador.
The short profile
Fully grown it measures up to 1.9 m tall. It weighs about 150 kilograms. On the menu: plants.
The story behind it
Llamas were domesticated by Andean peoples over 4,000 years ago and can carry loads of up to 25 to 30 kg for many kilometres across steep mountain paths at altitudes where few other pack animals can work well. Like their camel relatives, llamas have padded, two-toed feet that grip rocky mountain ground without sliding. They are known for spitting, usually to settle disagreements with other llamas over food rather than at people, though an annoyed llama might spit at a human too. Llamas are also surprisingly good natural guards and are sometimes kept with sheep flocks to help scare off foxes and other small predators. Today llamas remain an important part of life and culture across the Andes.
Find it on the globe
Llama is there as a tiny animated figure that breathes and looks around. From far away the planet is only a blue ball; detail arrives as you zoom in, and this one appears once you are close enough. Open it on the globe.
It sits at its real coordinates, not near them — the same numbers listed in the facts above. Switch off the layer for this kind of place and it disappears again; the buttons for that are down the right-hand edge.
Questions children ask
Why do llamas spit?
Llamas mostly spit at other llamas to settle disputes over food, personal space or mating rights, not usually at people. An annoyed or frightened llama may occasionally spit at a human too, as a clear warning signal.
How much weight can a llama carry?
A healthy adult llama can typically carry loads of around 25 to 30 kg over many kilometres of steep mountain terrain, making them valuable pack animals in the high Andes for thousands of years.
Are llamas related to camels?
Yes, llamas belong to the camel family, though they live in South America rather than deserts, and unlike true camels they have no humps. Their closest wild relative is the guanaco.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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