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| Lama | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Llama inPeru | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Camelidae |
| Tribe: | Lamini |
| Genus: | Lama Cuvier, 1800 |
| Type species | |
| Camelus glama[1] | |
| Species | |
| |
| Synonyms | |
Vicugna | |
Lama is agenus containing theSouth Americancamelids: the wildguanaco andvicuña and the domesticatedllama,alpaca, and the extinctchilihueque. Before theSpanish conquest of theAmericas, llamas, alpacas, and chilihueques were the only domesticatedungulates of thecontinent. They were kept not only for their value as beasts of burden, but also for their flesh, hides, andwool.
Although they were often compared to sheep by early writers, their affinity to the camel was soon perceived. They were included in the genusCamelus in theSystema Naturae ofLinnaeus. In 1800,Cuvier moved the llama, alpaca, and guanaco to the genusLama, and the vicuña to the genusVicugna. After genetic testing revealed that the alpaca descends from the vicuña it was also moved to genusVicugna.[2] TheAmerican Society of Mammalogists later moved the species of genusVicugna back into genusLama due to low genetic distance between the two.[3] TheRoyal Society, however, maintains the separation of the two genera.
TheseNew Worldcamelids alongsidecamels, are the soleextant representatives of a distinct section ofArtiodactyla (even-toed ungulates) calledTylopoda, or "hump-footed", from the peculiar bumps on the soles of their feet. This section consists of a single family, theCamelidae, the other sections of the same great division being theSuina orpigs, the Tragulina orchevrotains, and the Pecora or trueruminants, to each of which the Tylopoda have some affinity, standing in some respects in a central position between them, sharing some characters from each, but showing special modifications not found in any of the others.
Discovery of theextinct fauna of the American continent of the Paleogene and Neogene periods, starting with the 19th-century paleontologistsLeidy,Cope, andMarsh, has revealed the early history of this family. Llamas were not always confined to South America; their remains are abundant in thePleistocene deposits of theRocky Mountains region, and inCentral America; some of these extinct forms were much larger than any now living.
None of these transitional forms has been found in Old World strata;North America was the original home of the Camelidae family. The ancestor of modern camels crossedBeringia into Eurasia and Africa about 7 million years ago. The ancestor of the modern llamas entered South America via theIsthmus of Panama about 3 million years ago, as part of theGreat American Interchange. The Old World camels were gradually driven southward into regions of Asia and Africa, perhaps by changes ofclimate, and having become isolated, they have undergone further special modifications. Meanwhile, the New World llamas became restricted toSouth America following thepeopling of the Americas byPaleo-Indians and the accompanying extinction of themegafauna.
A possible variety is the hueque orchilihueque that existed incentral andsouth-central Chile inpre-Hispanic and early colonial times. Two main hypotheses on their status among South American camelids are given: the first one suggests they are locally domesticatedguanacos and the second suggests they are a variety ofllamas brought from the north into south-central Chile.[4] Chilihueques became extinct in the 16th or 17th century, being replaced by European livestock.[4] The causes of its extinction are unknown.[4] According toJuan Ignacio Molina, the Dutch captainJoris van Spilbergen observed the use of chilihueques by nativeMapuches ofMocha Island asplough animals in 1614.[5]
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chilihueque
| †Lama araucana (Molina, 1782) | Domesticated in Chile | Size: Habitat: Diet: | EX |
| Llama
| Lama glama (Linnaeus, 1758) | Domesticated worldwide | Size: Habitat: Diet: | |
| Guanaco
| Lama guanicoe (Müller, 1776) | Peru, Bolivia and Chile, and in Patagonia, with a small population in Paraguay. | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
| Alpaca
| Lama pacos (Linnaeus, 1758) | Domesticated worldwide | Size: Habitat: Diet: | |
| Vicuña
| Lama vicugna (Molina, 1782) | Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru; introduced to Ecuador | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
These characters apply especially to llamas.Dentition of adults:-incisors 1/3 canines 1/1, premolars 2/2, molars 3/2; total 32. In the upper jaw is a compressed, sharp, pointed laniariformincisor near the hinder edge of thepremaxilla, followed in the male at least by a moderate-sized, pointed, curved truecanine tooth canine in the anterior part of the maxilla. The isolated canine-likepremolar which follows in the camels is not present. The teeth of the molar series which are in contact with each other consist of two very small premolars (the first almost rudimentary) and three broadmolars, constructed generally like those ofCamelus. In the lower jaw, the three incisors are long, spatulate, and procumbent; the outer ones are the smallest. Next to these is a curved, suberect canine, followed after an interval by an isolated minute and often deciduous simple conical premolar; then a contiguous series of one premolar and three molars, which differ from those ofCamelus in having a small accessory column at the anterior outer edge.
The skull generally resembles that ofCamelus, the relatively larger brain cavity and orbits and less developedcranial ridges being due to its smaller size. The nasal bones are shorter and broader, and are joined by thepremaxilla.
Ears are rather long and pointed. No dorsal hump is present. Feet are narrow, the toes being more separated than in the camels, each having a distinct plantar pad. The tail is short, and the fur is long and ruffled looking like that of a sheep.
The llama and alpaca are only known in the domestic state, and are variable in size and color, being often white, black, or piebald. The wild guanaco and vicuña are of a nearly uniform light-brown color, passing into white below. The vicuña and guanaco share an obvious family resemblance and may be difficult to tell apart at a distance. The vicuña is smaller and slenderer in its proportions, and has a shorter head than the guanaco.
The guanaco has an extensive geographical range, from the high lands of the Andean region of Ecuador and Peru to the open plains ofPatagonia, and even the wooded islands ofTierra del Fuego. It constituted the principal food of the Patagonian Indians, and they use its skin for the material from which their long robes are made. It is about the size of aEuropean red deer, and is an elegant animal with a long, slender, gracefully curved neck and slim legs. The vicuña ranges throughout the Western Andes.
