The native people of the Andes Mountains domesticated the llama from the guanaco 6,000 to 7,000 years ago. They used llamas for many purposes in addition to carrying heavy loads. The llamas' fleece (shorn hair) was used to make clothing and ropes. Their hides were used to make sandals. read more
Today, llamas continue to be amazingly useful animals. They are raised on farms and ranches in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia, mainly for their high-quality fleece but also for food and for pets. A llama is typically sheared every two years, yielding six to seven pounds of fleece at a time. Llamas also make excellent guard animals. read more
Wool production is another common use of the llama, but the market for llama wool in the U.S. is not significant with so many other synthetic fibers on the market. Another popular use of llamas is to guard herds of sheep. Llamas are very territorial and have been proven to reduce coyote and wild dog predation on sheep herds. read more
Alpacas, like llamas, are easy to care for and will guard property and other animals much the same as the llama. They are a lot less intimidating to some animals and other humans, however. They are a little smaller than llamas and have soft eyes that do not instill the same level of fear. read more