The llamas you see today are actually spelled LAMA (single "L"). The double "LL" llama family group includes alpaca, guanaco, vicuna and lama. The United States is home to lamas and alpaca. The vicuna (an endangered species) and the guanaco call South America home. The llama family originated in the central plains of North American about 40 million years ago (pre-Ice Age), and migrated to South America and South Africa with the coming of the glaciers, about 2.5 million years ago. A cousin, the single humped camel is found in the deserts of Africa, and the double humped or bactarin camel is found in Asia. The end of the Ice Age marked the end of the camelid family in North America.

Approximately 5000 to 6000 years ago the lamas as we know them, were domesticated by the Indians of South America in the Andean highlands of Peru. They were, and still are, the all utility vehicle of the Indians, a beast of burden for the natives of the high plateaus of South America. They carried goods for the Indians; they used their fiber for clothes, their hides for shelters, their meat for food, their manure pellets for fuel and as a special sacrifice to their gods in religious ceremonies. The alpacas are the cash crop for the Indians of South America, so they carry a higher worth for these people and are not eaten as readily.

Based on the best information from the International Lama Registry, there are approximately 180,000 llamas and about 15,000 alpaca in the United States. There are very few guanacos in the United States, and no vicunas.

Llamas have international appeal, with countries such as New Zealand and Australia augmenting their fiber production industry with lama and alpaca fiber. You can find llamas in England, Europe, and Canada as well. As in ancient times, the llama today is important to the agricultural economy of the remote highlands of Argentina, Bolivia, Chili and Peru. In North American, the llama and alpaca industry are recognized as a viable agricultural entity.

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