The following web site Camélidos Andinos (Qosqo, Cuzco, Cusco - Peru) is another Spanish llama page for which the search engine Google offered an automatic translation into English. Again, the word “llama” translated for some reason into “flame” which tends to make some of the sentences rather bizarre. The original page has lots of good information, the computer translation is presented here for your amusement. The page is edited down quite a bit.


Andean Camelidaes (Qosqo, Cuzco, Cusco - Peru)

The typical fauna of the Andes is the South American camelidaes that apparently have their origin in the north of the continent; nevertheless its domesticación began about 6000 years ago in central the Andes, process that culminates with the pasturing and the appearance of diverse varieties of camelidaes totally domesticated towards the 3500 a.c.; therefore, all or almost all the preinkásicas cultures used camelidaes for their feeding and dress. It is already at inkásica time when one occurs to importance to a systematic raising of camelidaes with programs of selection and separation of flocks by colors and characteristics, and registries of production and consumption. The invasion and conquers Spanish meant a backward movement in the camelicultura because at the beginning the wars and soon the unconcern induced to indiscriminate slaughters for the meat supplying; later the import of foreign cattle caused that the camelidaes are displaced to high zones and you cold, to the almost desert Andean deserts where other animals could not survive.

Two varieties of Andean camelidaes domesticated that are the flame and the alpaca, and other two not domesticated exist that is the guanaco and the vicuna. Nevertheless, apparently one is animals that descend from two original sorts: Lama and Vicugna . . .

Llama. — esbelta Has a figure and it cannot be distinguished by his color because it can have until half hundred of different tonalities; it has extended legs, neck and face and can reach at the top to a height of 1,90 mts. of the floor. He is commonest and hard of the Andean camelidaes that are used generally like load animal, but the weight average that can carry is of about 40 kg in long trips, and until about 60 kg in short trips of until a day . . .

. . . The flame presents/displays two varieties traditionally, the Q’ara (bare) and the Ch’aku (fleecy) . . .

Alpaca (“Paqocha” in Quechua). — It has more curved and small silhouette than the flame, and in the forehead it presents/displays a classic fiber tuft and it cannot either be differentiated by the color because it has many tonalities.

Vicuña (Wik’uña). — Between the Andean camelidaes she is the one that smaller size has and can measure at the top until 1,30 mts. of the floor, has graceful body and agile movements; its coat has clear a brown color in the back and almost all the external part, but the chest, belly and interior of the legs are off-white, emphasizing their white pectoral tuft of about 20 bristles that can have cms. of length.

Guanaco (Wanaku). — It has a silhouette similar to the one of the flame with dense and short coat of sure a brown-reddish color with blackish tones in the head and zones blanquecinas around the lips, the edge of the ears the belly and the interior of the legs and a species of necklace underneath the neck.