Monday, March 23, 2009

Eyelashes and ears



We have three llamas, two we use for backpacking.  Everyone always asks, "Do they spit?"  The answer is yes, but not at us.  They spit at each other when they are irritated and our female, Domino, spits at Brogan, the wolfhound, when he chases her.  The spit smells disgusting, really disgusting, and turns Brogan green if he's been chasing Domino around the pasture all day.  We don't let Brogan chase Domino any more for obvious reasons.  

Llamas are part of the camel family, and though they look very sweet and fuzzy, they are not. They are aloof like cats and don't like to be petted.  Our wild pasture llamas stay just out of reach because they don't like human touch.  It takes two people with ropes chasing them around to catch one.  Once caught and loaded with up to 80 pounds of gear, they are cooperative.  Their toes spread when they walk so they don't wear down trails like horses do. They hum while they walk on the trail.

For more interesting sights around the world, check out MyWorldTuesday.

And thanks to the glory of instant internet access, I am adding this little poem that David McMahon just mentioned in his comment--thank you!  It's by Ogden Nash and I can't believe I've never heard it before.

The Lama

The one-l lama, 
He's a priest.
The two-l llama,
He's a beast.
And I will bet
A silk pajama
There isn't any 
Three-l llama.


23 comments:

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Beautiful creature, MM... Glad they don't spit on you. Funny how they 'hum' on the trail.

Hugs,
Betsy

jillybeanz said...

That's really interesting! I thought they liked people. I Love the part about spitting and humming!

david mcmahon said...

Reminds me of the Ogden Nash rhyme about the llama!!

ninja said...

I once met a lama closely face to face and its teeth were terrible!

kjpweb said...

Very interesting! You never stop learning! :)
Cheers, Klaus

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful animal. Cool look into an animal from your world.

Anonymous said...

They are such a gorgeous animal. I wish I have one and also a large enough backyard to put it in :)

SandyCarlson said...

Thanks for the personality profile of these guys. I love their faces and their very aloof eyes!

Elisabeth's bright side said...

And do you use the wool? It's a pity they are not cuddly.

Susan at Stony River said...

Whyyy are they so beautifully cuddly if they don't like to be petted? I don't think I could resist it.

Thanks for the Ogden Nash poem, it's a winner!

EG CameraGirl said...

Too bad they only LOOK lovable with those BIG eyes.

kayleen said...

Very informative post! Thanks for sharing.

Nebraska Birding

Anonymous said...

That was really interesting! I think camels are much friendly creatures then. They grow very attached to their owners and will mourn if sold from someone they've been together with always. They also sing by the way - no humming but pure wailing kind of singing - you have to hear it to believe it! But they are super cool. I am liking llamas more and more for every blog post I read!
That said, I thought of Ace Ventura in Pet Detective II when I thought of your poor dog covered in green spit, and unfortunately, it nearly made me gag :-D I SO understand you don't let him do that anymore! Sheba likes to chase Arwen when she rolls but that too is a no-no - even though our barb mare doesn't spit green fluids!

DeniseinVA said...

Enjoyed your post, the photo is beautiful. Didn't realize they had aloof personalities and it was very interesting to learn something about them. They still look adorable to me and I would love to go on a hike with one just for the experience. Great poem David came up with too.

Arija said...

Goodness, how did I come to miss that little ditty of O.Nash's. The man who wrote the shortest poem has been one of my favourites since childhood.
It must give you lots of good exercise catching a llama.
Love your post.

Jane Hards Photography said...

Llama's always look so cute to me.. Humming Llamas now that is strange.

Barbara said...

Really interesting - I didn't know they hum.

Unknown said...

Hahahah I can imagine the chasing and the spitting...funny it may seem but no more coz of some reasons.

Janie said...

Very cute poem. I love the long eyelashes and their elegant pride, but I sure wouldn't want Daisy covered in llama spit. Good call to keep Brogan out of the llama corral!

Gaelyn said...

Lama's have an endearing face with those big eyes. I had heard of the spitting problem. But humming, hmmmm, any tune in particular?

Anonymous said...

SO cute! Even if they do spit...thank you for sharing your world with us!

Anonymous said...

i have to say i learned something here today...fascinating post and love the pic of your girl.

have a wonderful evening.

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