Bolivian Llamas

When people think of animals in Bolivia, the first animal that comes to mind is the llama, which is found in the highland region of the Bolivian Andes.

Llamas are similar to camels and sheep. The llama also has two other cousins similar to it, which are alpacas and vicunas and are also are native animals to Bolivia.

Although llamas and alpacas are hardly wild, having been domesticated for centuries in the Andean highlands, you're bound to see plenty of them throughout the Altiplano region.

Llamas are used in a variety of ways. They can be used as pack animals and often carry 25-30 percent of their body weight for many miles, but are not ridden except by children. They are also used for their meat in some places in Bolivia, where you can go to a restaurant and order a llama steak. Probably the most notable use is for its fiber, which is shaved off to make handicraft items.

Alpaca, which are similar to the llama are used mostly for their wool. Alpacas are smaller than llamas and their wool is also finer and thicker than llamas, and were bred specifically for their fiber. Alpaca fiber is used for making knitted and woven items, much as wool. These items include blankets, sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves, a wide variety of textiles which can be seen at many of the markets in La Paz and throughout Bolivia.

The other relative of the llama and alpaca that is found in Bolivia is the vicuna. Vicuña are small and short with long necks and produce small amounts of extremely fine wool, which is very expensive because the animal can only be shorn every 3 years. Vicuñas were once raised by the Incas for their wool. They can be found in the wild in large herds, roaming grassy plains of the Andes Mountains.