Lama (genus)
This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2012) |
Lama | |
---|---|
Llama in Peru | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Artiodactyla |
Family: | Camelidae |
Tribe: | Lamini |
Genus: | Lama Cuvier, 1800 |
Type species | |
Camelus guanicoe | |
Species | |
| |
Synonyms | |
Vicugna |
Lama is a
Classification
Although they were often compared to sheep by early writers, their affinity to the camel was soon perceived. They were included in the genus
These
Discovery of the extinct fauna of the American continent of the Paleogene and Neogene periods, starting with the 19th-century paleontologists Leidy, Cope, and Marsh, has revealed the early history of this family. Llamas were not always confined to South America; their remains are abundant in the Pleistocene deposits of the Rocky Mountains region, and in Central 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 crossed Beringia into Eurasia and Africa about 7 million years ago, and The ancestor of the modern llamas entered South America via the Isthmus of Panama about 3 million years ago, as part of the Great American Interchange. The Old World camels were gradually driven southward into regions of Asia and Africa, perhaps by changes of climate, and having become isolated, they have undergone further special modifications. Meanwhile, the New World llamas became restricted to South America following the peopling of the Americas by Paleo-Indians and the accompanying extinction of the megafauna.
A possible variety is the hueque or
Species
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
|
Characteristics
These characters apply especially to llamas.
The skull generally resembles that of Camelus, the relatively larger brain cavity and orbits and less developed
- cervical 7,
- dorsal 12,
- lumbar 7,
- sacral 4,
- caudal 15 to 20.
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 woolly.
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 colour, 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 of
References
- ^ "Lama". ASM Mammal Diversity Database. 1.5. American Society of Mammalogists. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
- ^ a b c Bonacic, Cristián (1991). Características biológicas y productivas de los camélidos sudamericanos Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine. Avances en ciencias veterinarias. Vol. 6, No. 2.
- ^ The Geographical, Natural and Civil History of Chili, Pages 15 and 16, Volume II