Elizabeth Leslie, age 12, of Richmond, Va./, for her question:
WHAT IS A LLAMA?
An animal that is very useful to the Indians of the Andes in South America is the llama. He can transport goods for the Indians; the meat of younger animals makes an excellent addition to the diet; the hair is used to make clothing and its hide provides material to make sandals.
The llama is a member of the camel family, although he doesn't have a hump. Both the llama and one of his smaller cousins called the alpaca were probably bred from the wild guanaco. They are now domesticated and get along well with man.
The llama grows to be about four feet tall and is about four or five feet long. His hair is very thick and long and can be a number of different colors: brown, buff, gray, white or black.
When a male llama reaches the age of 3 1/2 he goes to work as a pack animal. The female, who bears one baby at a time, is usually just used for breeding and for her long fur.
A llama is extremely sure footed. He can carry a pack weighing 100 pounds and move smoothly over the steepest mountain trails. He will easily cover from 15 to 20 miles a day while carrying a full pack. As many as a thousand llamas are often employed on a single hauling job into the mountains. It's an impressive sight.
A llama can at times be an extremely stubborn creature. If he suddenly decides his pack is too heavy, or he has worked long enough for the day, he will simply lie down, with his front legs under him, and refuse to move. It takes a lot of coaxing to get him back into action.
The llama has another unfriendly habit: If he becomes angry or is under attack, he will spit a mouthful of evil¬smelling saliva into his enemy's face.
The llama is a very inexpensive animal for the Indians to keep. He isn't a fussy eater and can be happy on a diet of low shrubs, lichens and other plants that grow on the high mountains. He's extremely hardy and doesn't too often become ill. Like his African cousin, the camel, the llama can go for many weeks without drinking water. He can obtain as much moisture as he needs from the green plants he eats.
Cousin alpaca, like the llama, is a native South American. He thrives at locations that are between 12,000 and 16,000 feet above sea level. His wool is much finer than that of the llama. He is sheared once each year and will give up about seven pounds of wool each time.
Bolivia and Peru are the leading producers of alpaca wool. Much is woven into cloth by the Indians at home, although large amounts are exported each yearto the United States and Europe.