Llamas are members of the camel (camelid) family. Originating in
the Central Plains of North America about 10 million years ago,
the llama predecessors migrated to South America around 2.5
million years ago. Its cousin, the camel , relocated to the
Middle East and other regions of the world. The end of the Ice
Age 10,000 to 12,000 years ago marked the extinction of the
camelid in North America. Llamas were domesticated from the
guanacos of the Andean highlands of Peru 5,000 to 6,000 years
ago and are among the world's oldest domestic animals. While
primarily a beast of burden for the native herdsmen, llamas also
provided them with meat, wool, hides for shelter, manure pellets
for fuel, and became sacrificial offerings to their gods. Today
there are an estimated 7 million llamas and alpacas in South
America. In the United States and Canada there is an estimated
65,000 llamas , 7,000 alpacas and 200 guanacos. Llamas have
international appeal, with countries such as New Zealand
augmenting their fiber industry wi