<P> They are very social animals and live with other llamas as a herd . The wool produced by a llama is very soft and lanolin - free . Llamas are intelligent and can learn simple tasks after a few repetitions . When using a pack, they can carry about 25 to 30% of their body weight for 8 to 13 km (5--8 miles). </P> <P> The name llama (in the past also spelled' lama' or' glama') was adopted by European settlers from native Peruvians . </P> <P> Llamas appear to have originated from the central plains of North America about 40 million years ago . They migrated to South America about three million years ago during the Great American Interchange . By the end of the last ice age (10,000--12,000 years ago), camelids were extinct in North America . As of 2007, there were over seven million llamas and alpacas in South America, and due to importation from South America in the late 20th century, there are now over 158,000 llamas and 100,000 alpacas in the United States and Canada . </P> <P> Lamoids, or llamas (as they are more generally known as a group), consist of the vicuña (Vicugna vicugna, prev . Lama vicugna), guanaco (Lama guanicoe), Suri alpaca, and Huacaya alpaca (Vicugna pacos, prev . Lama guanicoe pacos), and the domestic llama (Lama glama). Guanacos and vicuñas live in the wild, while alpacas--as well as llamas--exist only as domesticated animals . Although early writers compared llamas to sheep, their similarity to the camel was soon recognized . They were included in the genus Camelus along with alpaca in the Systema Naturae (1758) of Carl Linnaeus . They were, however, separated by Georges Cuvier in 1800 under the name of lama along with the guanaco . Alpacas and vicuñas are in genus Vicugna . The genera Lama and Vicugna are, with the two species of true camels, the sole existing representatives of a very distinct section of the Artiodactyla or even - toed ungulates, called Tylopoda, or "bump - footed", from the peculiar bumps on the soles of their feet . The Tylopoda consist of a single family, the Camelidae, and shares the order Artiodactyla with the Suina (pigs), the Tragulina (chevrotains), the Pecora (ruminants), and the Whippomorpha (hippos and cetaceans, which belong to Artiodactyla from a cladistic, if not traditional, standpoint). The Tylopoda have more or less affinity to each of the sister taxa, standing in some respects in a middle position between them, sharing some characteristics from each, but in others showing special modifications not found in any of the other taxa . </P>

When did the llama first appear in north america