LLAMA Red sheep loaded with gold and silver In a bloody and fiery conquest the Spanish overthrew the empire of the Incas and reduced the survivors of that great pre-Columbian civilization to what was slavery in all but name. Then they loaded gold and silver on the animals they called red sheep, known today as llamas. Huge caravans carried the riches from the high plateaus to the Spanish ships. It is said that 300,000 llamas carried silver from the mines of Potosi, over 14,000 feet above sea level. At the end of the trip thousands of llamas died from the coastal heat, and the treasure ships left for Europe. The llamas and the alpaca, very common in the plateaus of the Andes, are the domestic descendants of the guanaco. They were domesticated long ago, before the period of the Incas. The alpaca is raised for its long, soft, wool; the llama is raised for its meat and its usefulness as a pack animal. The llama's wool is coarse and used only for rough fabrics. The female is sheared every other year. The males keep their coats, which serve as natural saddles and enable them to carry things right on their backs. A llama can carry more than 100 pounds 25 miles a day, over paths that not even a mule could follow. The llama is a little stockier than its ancestor, the guanaco. It is also distinguished by the calluses on its knees, the shape of its ears, and its color; llamas are often red-brown but may be white, black, or some combination of these. PHYLUM: Vertebrata CLASS: Mammalia ORDER: Artiodactyla FAMILY: Camelidae CHARACTERISTICS: Length: 4.5 to 8 feet, including a 10-inch tail Shoulder height: 2.5 to 4.5 feet Weight: to 300 pounds Life span: 24 years All information courtesy of Leisure Books, Ltd.