Ears
Interest, worry or warning.
For exampleEars pinned back with the head raised can come just before spitting.
Species / Llamas
Llamabody language.
Tall, alert and self-assured, a watchful guardian who remembers who treated them kindly.
89Signals mapped
22Science-backed references
180Unique scenarios
Start with the animal
Who the llama is.
Llamas are the larger cousins of alpacas: bold, alert herd animals with a strong sense of personal space. Their ears, neck and tail carry most of their messages, and they are generally quieter than alpacas.
Some llamas will stand up to dogs and coyotes, which is why they are kept as guardians for sheep. Llamas are studied far less than many farmed animals, so FaunaVera tells you when its confidence is lower.
What FaunaVera looks at
The signals we read.
A few of the channels FaunaVera watches and listens to in every llama video, weighed together with context and checked against a llama-specific ethogram.
Head and neck
Posture and height.
For exampleEars forward with the neck held upright signals interest in what, or who, is in front of them.
Tail
Position and tension.
For exampleA loosely lowered tail goes with interest. A slightly raised tail can go with fear.
Voice
Hums and alarm calls.
For exampleLlamas give high-pitched, whinny-like alarm calls when they spot a threat, and are otherwise fairly quiet.
Alertness
Watching and confronting.
For exampleMore alert llamas were more likely to confront a dog standing in for a predator.
People
Familiar or unfamiliar.
For exampleLlamas stayed closer to a handler they knew than to a stranger.
Did you know?
In a field trial, sheep flocks guarded by llamas lost significantly fewer lambs than flocks without them.
Common misreads
- “A bottle-raised male who pushes into you is just extra friendly.”Over-socialising young males with people is linked to dangerous behaviour later on. Respectful distance is kinder.
- “Llamas spit at everyone.”Spitting is mostly aimed at other llamas. Llamas used to people rarely spit at humans.
- “Any llama makes a good guardian.”Guarding varies with each llama’s alertness and temperament, and with how much predator pressure there is.
Being around a llama
Respect their space and let them come to you. Llamas notice who people are, and calm, familiar handlers make everything easier.
See it for yourself
Your llama, read in seconds.
Upload a short video and FaunaVera reads the whole picture for you: an Interpretation, Voice of Animal, practical Tips and Ethogram Insights that explain exactly which signals it saw.
Where this comes from
A few of the studies.
FaunaVera's llama ethogram draws on 22 science-backed references. Here are a handful of them.
- G. C. Miranda-de la Lama & M. Villarroel (2023). Behavioural biology of South American domestic camelids: an overview from a welfare perspective. Small Ruminant Research, 220, 106918. Read
- I. Windschnurer et al. (2020). Alpaca and llama behaviour during handling and its associations with caretaker attitudes and human-animal contact. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 226, 104989. Read
- A. A. Taylor & H. Davis (1996). The response of llamas (Lama glama) to familiar and unfamiliar humans. International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 9(1). Read
- S. M. C. Cavalcanti & F. F. Knowlton (1998). Evaluation of physical and behavioral traits of llamas associated with aggressiveness toward sheep-threatening canids. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 61(2), 143-158. Read
- L. E. Meadows & F. F. Knowlton (2000). Efficacy of guard llamas to reduce canine predation on domestic sheep. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 28(3), 614-622. Read
