Llamas are docile animals at first sight, but they can react with unexpected attitudes when they feel threatened or annoyed. One of the best known is the famous spit. Anyone who visited a farm or had contact with these camels probably listened to the warning: “Take care not to take a Lhama spit.”
But after all, why do they do this? The answer has much more to do with communication and defense than with free aggression. To understand this curious behavior, you need to know a little more about these animals.
What are the llamas and why do they spit on people?
Llamas are mammals of the Camelid family, a group that also includes alpace, vicuinhas, guanacos and camels.
They originate in South America, especially from the Andean regions of Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. They have been domesticated for more than four thousand years for the pre-Colombian peoples, and to date they are used as load animals, a source of wool and even company in rural properties.
They have a body covered with thick wool, weighing between 130 and 200 kg and can measure up to 1.80 m high. They have elongated banana -shaped ears, are intelligent, sociable and usually live in groups. Its diet is based on low vegetation such as grass, leaves and hay.
Despite their quiet form, when they feel threatened, irritated or annoyed, the llamas use spit as a form of communication.
Spit is a common behavior between camelids, which is used to mark the territory, establish hierarchies and avoid threats. In nature, spit is often used with each other, especially in food disputes or group position. But if a human is too close or invades his space, he can become a goal.
What makes this behavior so unpleasant is that the flame does not only split saliva. When the level of irritation is high, part of the stomach content together with the spit regurgains, which results in a substance of strong and pasty smell, with parts of partially digested vegetation.
Although disgusting, the content is not dangerous to human health and does not usually cause infections. However, discomfort is guaranteed, especially if the spit reaches the face or eyes.
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It is important to emphasize that the flame does not spit for anything. It is a defensive behavior and rarely triggers for no reason.
Often, humans are involuntary goals when trying to stroke, feed or bring too much to the animal without comfortable. Therefore, when you visit places where there is llamas, it is best to respect the space of the animal, observe your behavior and not force contact.
With information of Interesting Muy.
In some countries, yes. In Brazil, Ibama is necessary and an adequate infrastructure.
They feed mainly on grass, leaves, hay and fibrous vegetation.
They originally live in the Andes, but are also created on fashion farms around the world.
