Betsy Price, age 11, of Mesa, Ariz. Her question:

DOES THE LLAMA SPIT AT PEOPLE?

The llama is the largest member of the camel family that lives in South America. It is a domesticated animal that was probably bred many years ago from the wild guanaco.

Llamas can be very stubborn animals. If a llama feels his pack is too heavy, or if he thinks he has worked hard enough, he will lie down, with his front legs under him, and refuse to move. When the llama is angry or under attack, it spits bad smelling saliva in its enemy's face.

The llama doesn't have a hump. It stands about four feet high at the shoulder. Male llamas have been used as beasts of burden in the Peruvian and Bolivian Andes Mountains for more than 1,000 years.

The surefooted animals can carry as much as 200 pounds for 12 hours a day, but they are not ridden.

Females are raised for their flesh, which tastes somewhat like mutton, and for their milk, which is used extensively in western South America. The long, course wool of both the male and the female is used in the weaving of textiles and the skins are tanned for leather.