the South American representatives of the type is fitting llama to the family of the camels. Neuweltkamele differ in more inferior size, relatively big eyes and ears as well as the absence of back-humps from its relatives from the old world. Furthermore, the llamas have comparatively small sole-cushions and more strongly of each other separate toes as alto-world-camels. they represent the more original Bautyp.
Llamas are on the basis of its foot-building site to be recognized as mountain-animals, whose soles protects before slipping and fits itself admirably for their movable toes as unevenness of the underground. As further adaptation to the life in big heights or cold steppes is the fleecy hair-dress to assess with low grain-Ena-part. (Further height-adaptations sees under Vikunja below.)
At the rear-runs, llamas ever possess a horny glandular-field, the so-called chestnut, at the outside and inside of the metarsus. With Vikunjas, the chestnuts are hidden under the fur.
Descent of the pet-forms We distinguish two wild types today: the smaller Vikunja and the more powerful Guanako. The Guanako is worth llama and alpaca as trunk-form of the two pet-types, the two one quite differently is used.
Vikunja (llama vicugna)) The withers-height of the dainty Vikunja amounts to approximately 100 cm, its weight for 60 kg. The head is shorter, the fur-color of the upper side more brightly than with the Guanako. The back-coloring, that is the underside, is taken whitish, unclearly reddish-yellow off the upper side. At the neck-base, a 12-30 cm long breast-mane hangs down. The wool is frizzy and fine as they of all other llamas. The skin of the Vikunja is thinner than with its relatives.
Habitat The Vikunja lives in the high-Andes and lives in heights in this region between 3500 and 5000 m. Because of its tender foot-building site avoids the Vikunja rock and screes, it prefers the alpine mats. The Vikunjas avoid during the dry summer into the valleys where a denser green plant-carpet predominates with more severe moisture. The Vikunja is more strongly dependent on the moisture as the Guanako.
Food The Vikunja lives from grass and wide-flaky herbs of the andinen mats.
Adaptation to the life in the high mountain region All Lamaartigen, particularly however the Vikunja, show adaptations at the life in big height. Heart and cycle become printable in the oxygen-poor air and the low one with the life. The heart must accomplish a bigger credit-performance as with a life in more inferior height. It therefore is relatively big. The number of the red blood corpuscles, that cause the oxygen-transportation, is higher than with mammals from more deeply situated areas. A llama has more than 12 million from it in one cubic-millimeter of blood. With the Vikunja, the number of the Erythrozyten rises over 14 million. For the human being, values are normal about 5 million.
Way of life Vikunjas form small herds from a Leithengst and up to 15 mares. Young stallions unite to stoves of 20 -50 animals. The Leithengst guards its herd and sits down on the escape at the end. Each herd lives in an Areal from up to 40 hectares of expansion. It quite is within this of the Leithengst of defended area place-scatters. The Vikunja therefore doesn't hike like the Guanako.
The "wedged" in tail-attitude, that it take mostly, is characteristic of the Vikunjas. Emotional animals raise the tail in stretched form. One sees llamas and Guanakos frequently raise its tail in contrast to it in bent attitude. With the alpaca, the tail more rarely is held up. If the alpaca raises the tail, it holds it only wise high, but in bent form.
The voice of the Vikunjas is described screams and whistles as odd.
Reproduction From all the Lamaartigen, the stallions of the Vikunjas fight the most and enrages about the reign over the mare-herd. Serious Beißereien occurs on that occasion. The ears of many Vikunjas are mutilated through bites. After the rainy summer, in January and February, the mare places a foal. The Tragzeit lasts 10 months. The boys can the herd already at the 2. Follow life-day.
Nature conservation Although the Vikunja stands under protection nowadays, it is still poached. Fur and meat of this type are assessed highly. The increasing sheep-breeding and the enclosure interconnected with it of grassland restricts the habitat of the Vikunjas more and more. The continuance of the type still is endangered in the wild why it is put by the Washingtoner Artenschutzübereinkommen under protection.
The Vikunjas held in captivity are registered in an international breeding-book. So it is tried to get the continuance of this type of animal through after-breeding in zoological gardens since effective protection is not possible in the origin-areas for the time being yet.
Guanako (llama guanacoë)) The withers-height of the Guanakos amounts to approximately 120 cm, its weight reaches up to 120 kg. This game-type is slim, high-legged and has a strongly moved in point-region. The usually upright carried ears are long and pointed. The color of the upper side and flanks is an active, light one bay; Is it limbs underside and rear whitish and clearly settles out from the upper side. The face is dark-gray colored until black. The bogig carried tail is fleecy hairy, as well like the back.
Habitat The Guanako lives in grass-open fields and screes of the snow line as far as to the cold, breezy pampas Patagoniens and the islands at the South-top of the continent like fire-country and others. It avoids pure rock-landscapes and snowfields. Guanakos go also in the sea and reach the offshore islands swimming.
In its habitat, Guanakos prefer dry areas. The temperature doesn't play any big role for it. In the dry-is called steppe-landscape of the grains of Chaco the Guanako was wiped out by the human being.
Way of life Guanakos form troops from a Leithengst and 4-10 mares together with its offspring. Younger stallions construct own bachelor-herds up to 30 animals. After the combination-time, several herds to big, assorted stoves can meet. Older stallions should be separately alive.
Behavior A Leithengst occupies an observation-station near its herd. With danger, it retreats with its herd in the goose-march. With severe danger, the herd escapes in active zigzag; the animals visit the steep hillsides on that occasion if possible.
Guanakos use within an association of common excrement-places. The excrement-sales turn into a downright "excrement-ceremonial" occasionally. Densely Guanakos roll in the dry sand at the excrement-places and take dust-baths this way. If the Guanakos migrate, the sand-tubs deepened to the hollow serve as Nistplatz for Nandus, the pampas-bouquets.
Guanakos are day-active; during the morning and evening-hours, they visit the trough.
In the silence-position, Guanakos lie on the breast. Young stretch out the front-runs on that occasion to the front instead of bending it like the adults in the wrists.
Hikes In context of weather and food-offer, Guanakos execute hikes. they avoid before snowfalls in the valleys. Guanakos durchschwimmen without further rivers or even inlets.
Fight-behavior At innerartlichen confrontations, Guanakos spit mutually at. At all fights, they put back the ears. They try in the more vehement fight to clash mutually into the front-legs. They embrace each other more or less with the necks on that occasion. Many times, this leads to downright neck-fights, that are to be observed also with other Schwielensohlern and in some other form with giraffes. Not rarely, they clash mutually into the ears, that then carry the tracks of injuries. Furthermore they beat with the front-runs forward or lash out to the back.
Enemies Besides the human being and its dogs, above all the puma becomes dangerous for the Guanakos.
Maximum-ages Guanakos reach an old of approximately 25 years.
Reproduction The Guanakos are combined in the spring of the southern hemisphere (August-September). In this time, the rivaling stallions fight severely together. The fights are accompanied by a shouting, that reminds remotely of a neighing. The underdog leaves the precinct after the Leithengst pursued it a while.
To the mating, the mare lays down herself. The deck-act can last half a Stundelang.
The foal was born after 11 months of Tragzeit. The birth takes place in standing. The young comes on the legs already few minutes after its birth and can follow its mother already on the second life-day. It is not dry-licked. Twin-births are an exception.
Food The Guanako primarily is a grass-glutton. It likes to skin the bark of different groves in captivity. Otherwise, its food consists of herbs and moss.
Endangering The habitat of the Guanakos is constricted by expansion of the pasture-economy more and more. From the Gran-Chaco-Gebiet and from sharing of Peru, this type already vanished, and also in Argentina, the continuance decreases. In Chile and Peru, the Guanako is regarded as endangered.
Llama and alpaca, llama guanacoë f. glama) Both pet-types originated from the Guanako as breeding-races.
The llama becomes bigger and heavier than the exit-form. its withers-height amounts to approximately 130 cm, the weight by 120 kg. The llama occurs in various color-hits in brown and white. Gescheckte frequently are copies. The hair forms a long, coarse wool.
The llama is a präkolumbianisches pet, who was something new for Peru's white conqueror. It comes from the old Inca-culture. Findings indicate that it was domesticated even already by the predecessors of the Incas.
The llama-stallions become if they are more than 3 years old as pack-animals use. A pack-saddle becomes unnecessary since the dense fur forms a good cushion between load and llama-backs. In the rough terrain of the Altiplano, the plateau of Peru and Bolivia, llama-caravans transport loads up to 50 kg per animal in a day-march 20-30 km wide. So, the supply of the mines and the evacuation of the ores in the last centuries with help of llama-caravans unwound.
Mares and young are stopped at pastures. Partially they live half-wildly and come back into human care only occasionally.
From the llamas, one uses the wool to the manufacture of ponchos, mats and ropes. The meat is regarded as delicacies. The leather is processed to sandals. The milk doesn't play any big role with the utilization of this pet. The tallow delivers candle-material, and the dried manure is a suitable fuel in the low-wood area. The Native Americans handle its llamas kindly and patiently. they have a valuable one, genügsames pet, for it.
The alpaca is essentially more gracefully built as the Guanako. The height is very variable. So, the withers-height amounts until 110 cm, the weight for 70 kg. The long hair is waved and fleecy. It is deck and sub-hair strongly standardized so that an even fleece comes about. its color can black, white, gray, brown and gescheckt is.
The alpaca primarily delivers wool of excellent quality. The wool is processed to decks and coats by the natives. A large part is exported. All animals are shorn 2 years. From the 5. Year of life from delivers an optimal profit the alpacas.
The meat of the alpaca is eaten by the Native Americans.
Alpacas are thought of Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia in the almost treeless high mountain region-landscapes. This region stretches from the forest-border above 2400 m as far as at the snow-region in over 4000 m of height. In Peru, the main-spread-area of the alpacas, there has been this pet-form for approximately 2200 years. 30 years ago, approximately 2 million alpacas were held in the Andes. To introduce attempts, this usefulness-animal in North America, Europe and Australia, failed completely.
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