Guanacos, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

© Floris van Breugel/NPL/Minden Picture

Attitude and altitude. Llama Day

Prick up your ears and crane your neck—it's National Llama Day. Part of a family that includes camels, alpacas, and guanacos, llamas have long been domesticated in South America because of their hardiness and ability to thrive on the bleak vegetation in the mountains and plateaus of the Andes. At up to 6 feet tall and weighing up to 400 pounds, they were used primarily as pack animals for about 6,500 years. They were also bred as a source of food, hides, tallow for candles, dung for fuel, and fabric. While inferior to alpaca and guanaco wool, llama fleece is soft, warm, durable, and fairly lightweight. It's used for clothing, rugs, and rope.