Alaska Pack Llamas Blog

Because llamas are herbivores, which means they eat exclusively plant materials such as grass, hay, shrubs - their teeth are mainly designed for crushing, grinding, and juicing their food. They do not feed on meat and other tough materials like nuts or shells.  Llamas use their teeth the same way goats, cows, camels and sheep do. They cut grass from the ground using their sharp-edged incisors and dental pad, tear them, and push them towards the cheek teeth or the grinding teeth to further be chewed. Llamas are not true ruminants but are “pseudo ruminants” even though they have a similar digestive system as that of ruminants. Like ruminants, llamas are often spotted chewing because they regurgitate their food and chew it repeatedly before digesting. Llamas and alpacas are camelids, and camelids do not have front teeth in their upper jaws. This is why when you take a closer look at a chewing llama, you will notice that only its lower jaw has visible teeth. In place of the upper front...