Domain Eucarya
Kingdom Animalia
phylum Chordata
subphylum Vertebrata
class Mammalia
order Artiodactyla
SuborderTylopoda
Family Camelidae
A family of ungulates, the camels and their South American relatives. Camelidae are distingushable by their oval shaped red blood cells, as well as the "cannon bones" that their foot bones have fused into.
- Camelus
- Vicugna
- Lama
- Lama guanicoe, the Guanaco, bred by Central and South American natives into two domesticaed varieties:
- Lama lama, the Llama, a pack animal
- Lama pacos, the Alpaca, bred for its fleece.
The lineage of these two domestic creatures appears to be a bit confused, although the general consensus, as evidenced by their Latin names, is that they were both bred from the guanaco. However, I have frequently read that the alpaca was bred from the vicuña.