Llama
The llama is a South American relative of the camel, though the
llama does not have a hump. These sturdy creatures are domestic animals
used by the peoples of the Andes Mountains. (Their wild relatives are
guanacos and vicuñas). Native peoples have used llamas as pack animals
for centuries. Typically, they are saddled with loads of 50 to 75 pounds
(23 to 34 kilograms). Under such weight they can cover up to 20 miles
(32 kilometers) in a single day. Pack trains of llamas, which can
include several hundred animals, move large amounts of goods over even
the very rough terrain of the Andes.
Llamas are willing pack
animals but only to a point. An overloaded llama will simply refuse to
move. These animals often lie down on the ground and they may spit,
hiss, or even kick at their owners until their burden is lessened.
Llamas
graze on grass and, like cows, regurgitate their food and chew it as
cud. They chomp on such wads for some time before swallowing them for
complete digestion. Llamas can survive by eating many different kinds of
plants, and they need little water. These attributes make them durable
and dependable even in sparse mountainous terrain.
Llamas
contribute much more than transportation to the human communities in
which they live. Leather is made from their hides, and their wool is
crafted into ropes, rugs, and fabrics. Llama excrement is dried and
burned for fuel. Even in death, llamas can serve their human owners—some
people slaughter them and eat their meat.
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق