Ralph the Llama's Family Photo Album Quiz

Answer: Cria

All of the Lamini (camelids found in the Americas) have young called crias. A llama cria typically weighs between 9 and 14 kg (20-30 lb); an adult llama usually weighs between 130 and 200 kg (280-450lb), and measures about 1.8 m (6 ft) to the top of its head. Llamas have long been bred for use as pack animals, as well as providing meat and fibre (although some relatives produce finer fibre).

The Incas called the constellation commonly referred to as Lyra by the name of Urcuchillay, described in their mythology as a multicoloured god who takes care of animals and their guardians.

Answer: Guarding livestock

Llamas, especially gelded males, have been found to be very effective at protecting herd animals such as sheep and goats from predators. Not only are they naturally alert and able to warn of impending danger in time to elicit appropriate avoidance behavior, they will also approach the predator and attempt to scare it off.

This works well for a single predator, but they are not nearly as effective in dealing with a pack attack. In some cases, a dog or coyote may even be killed by a guard llama, but this is not usual. Don't mess with Ralph when he's in a bad mood!

Answer: Guanaco

The llama (Lama glama), guanaco (Lama guanicoe), alpaca (Vicugna pacos) and vicuna (Vicugna vicugna) are the four extant Lamini, or New World members of this family. Bactrian camels are found in central Asia; dromedaries, or Arabian camels, are domesticated in the Middle East and northern Africa, and occur wild in Australia, where they have become a feral pest after being introduced to help with exploration and settlement of the country's arid interior. Protylopus is an extinct ancestral camelid that was about the size of a rabbit, and had four toes on each foot.

Answer: Being shorn to produce wool

Vicunas have a very fine coat, and their fur is highly prized for the soft, warm wool into which it can be spun and woven. Since (by law) they can only be rounded up and shorn every few years, the yield is low and vicuna wool is quite expensive.

Answer: Alpaca

Alpacas were formerly thought to have evolved from guanacos, but they are now classified in the genus vicugna, along with the vicuna. This change, made in 2001, was based on DNA evidence. Alpacas are much smaller than llamas, and were specifically bred for the fibre from their fur, not as pack animals. As you can see, they have plenty of it!

The giraffe, like Ralph, is an Artiodactyl, meaning that it has hooves with an even number of toes. It is not a camelid, despite its species name of camelopardalis, which comes from the Latin name given by the Romans because it seemed to be a cross between a camel and a leopard.

Answer: Gertrude, a guanaco

The guanaco (like the vicuna) is an untamed member of the camelid family; the llama and alpaca are both considered to be domesticated. The guanaco is somewhat shorter than a llama, and significantly lighter (around 90 kg, or 200 lb). This makes them good runners, able to reach speeds of up to 55kph (35 mph) even over rocky ground.

The vicuna, also running wild in the high regions of the Andes (but not as far south as Patagonia), is smaller, and not as fast. The guanaco's neck has quite thick skin, and that part of its skin has been used for shoe leather because of its thickness.

Answer: Peru

Peru is the only country listed with a coastline on the Pacific Ocean. Its national shield features a vicuna (the national animal representing all Peruvian fauna), a cinchona tree (source of the important anti-malarial drug quinine) and cornucopia full of coins (representing the nation's mineral wealth). During the time of the Incan kingdom, only royalty could wear clothing made from vicuna wool.

Answer: Poebrotherium

Ralph's family migrated to South America from North America between two and three million years ago. Poebrotherium was one of his earlier ancestors, roaming the plains between 30 and 40 million years ago. I don't have room for all the greats needed to describe this relationship! Unlike earlier camelid fossils such as the protylopus, poebrotherium skeletons have two toes, like modern llamas.

These fossil records make it clear that camelids originated in North America, spreading to South America and to Asia (across the Bering land bridge), where their descendants can now be found. Paleolama mirifica is also known as the 'stout-legged' llama; Procamelus was about the same size as a modern llama.

Answer: Soft footpads rather than hooves

Camelids are members of the suborder Tylopoda, meaning 'swollen (or padded) foot'. They all have two-toed feet with toenails and a soft footpad, rather than hooves. Titanotylopus, also called Gigantocamelus, dwelled in North America from about 10 million years ago until about 300,000 years ago.

Answer: Aepycamelus giraffinus

All four of these ancestral camelids lived in North America. As its species name suggests, Aepycamelus giraffinus had a long s-shaped neck, and reconstructions look distinctly like a modern giraffe. Floridatragulus dolichanthereus was distinguished by its long snout; Stenomylus gracilis was a gazelle-like camelid without padding on its hooves; Hemiauchenia macrocephala was distinguished by its large head, and was part of the genus which actually made the move from North America to the present home of Ralph's immediate relatives, South America.