Guanacos in Los Glaciares National Park, Patagonia, Argentina

© Yva Momatiuk and John Eastcott/Minden Picture

Llamas on the loose. Los Glaciares National Park, Patagonia, Argentina

Pack your bags and plan a trip to the Andes mountains to catch a glimpse of a guanaco, the wild cousin of the domesticated llama. Guanacos are believed to have originated in the central plains of North America approximately 40 million years ago. However, they gradually migrated to South America, where they were domesticated around 4,500 BCE, gaining the llama moniker.

As seen in today's image, guanacos are often spotted roaming free in Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina, sporting dark cinnamon wool and cartoonish-looking faces. Cute as they are, they can be a bit rude: both guanacos and llamas defend themselves by spitting to assert dominance within their herd or to keep intrusive peers at bay. Don't let this deter you from going on an organised llama trek though, they are intelligent, trainable and can make for great pack animal companions!