Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1920-07-08
have HIGH Value
Four South American Animals of
Great Utility.
The Llama In Particular, Well Called
"Ship Of the Desert" Is Prized-
Alpaca ls Bred for Its
Splendid Fleece.

When first seeing a llama, an alpaca,
a vicuna or a guanaco. In their native
habitat your first comment would be:
TOO big for a sheep, too small for a
camel, yet looks like both." while you
might add mentally. as did the yokel
when he saw the giraffe at the circus:
"There amt no such animal" These
extraordinary creatures, little known
outside Of the southern Andean re-
gion Of South America, have their
range from southern Ecuador through
the elevated plateaus of Peru and b.
ivia southwark along the high Andes
to the plains of Patagonia and TERRA
del Fuego. All are of the very high
est utility for mems needs for food and
clothing.
The four are merely different breeds
OF the same race, varying only as they
have been bred in domesticity for GER
tain specialized purposes, or modified
by their environment when left I'M
hampered in their native wilds. Pos
sessing a head like a sheep. a sway
ing, curved neck like a camel, with
out the camel's hump but drawn in at
the withers like the camel and with the
camel's "wobbly" look, apparently in
securely braced upon its tall, slender
legs, with the camel's cushion-like
splay feet, the llamas undoubtedly be-
long to the camel family. They have
the camel's nature. for though more
vigilant than the camel, they possess
the same dull imperturability, and
their identical stubborn, morose dispo-
sition. and seem to consider man their
hereditary foe, only to be obeyed by
%compulsion and with spiteful spittings
and groans.
The llama family in prehistoric
times had a much wider range than
at present, their fossil remains being
found from the republic Of Colombia
northward to Central America and
even as far north as central Colorado.
The llama and alpaca are homestead
ed, the guanaco and vicuna are still in
the wild state, and this is n Of the
instances where domesticated animals
range co-existent with their wild con-
geners. OF the four kinds the guiana
co Is the most numerous, and is found
in bands of 5 to 500, and while con-
fined to the high table lands elsewhere.
In Patagonia their range is over the
plains and lower lands as we'll.
Both the guanaco and vicuna are
easily tanned and readily take to cap
tivity, and from the wild guanaco and
vicuna have sprung the domesticated
llama and alpaca. The alpaca is kept
upon the wild uplands near the eter-
nal SHOWS and is only driven in to be
shorn Of its beautiful fleece of black
or brown wool, which is so long that
1t often falls over its sides and back
like a curling cascade reaching to the
ground.
When Pizarro and his fellow con-
quistadores conquered the aboriginal
Peruvians they found the. llama the
only domesticated beast Of burden.
Under Spanish domination more than
100000 llamas were used to carry sill
yer from the mines to the %seacoast, but
the coming of the horse, the burro, and
more than all else, the railway is grad
ually running 1t out, as 1t is timid and
slow, and can travel with its 100-pound
pack only II to Is miles a day; yet
1t retains a certain advantage. as 1t is
never fed OF the trail, but forages its
own living.