Height: A full-grown llama stands three to four feet at the shoulder and five to six and a half feet tall at the head.

Weight: Adult llamas can weigh from 250 to 450 pounds. Llamas weigh about 25 pounds at birth.

Color: Llamas boast a mind-boggling array of patterns and solid colors, ranging from snowy white to jet black and everything in between - the full gamut of grays, tans, beiges, and rusty brownish reds.

Disposition: Llamas tend to be docile, curious, non-aggressive, and quietly compatible.

Life Span: A llama's normal life span is 15 to 25 years.

Intelligence: Llamas are very intelligent animals and learn quickly.

Overall Health Picture: Excellent. Llamas are hardy and generally healthy animals that are disease-resistant and don't require a great deal of special handling. Routine vaccinations and worming are generally the only medical care required to keep llamas in good health.

Food Requirements: Llamas, like cattle and sheep, are ruminants who chew their cud. They have a relatively low requirement for protein and a wide variety of pasturages can suit their needs.

Sometimes supplemental vitamins, minerals, and salt are needed. Feeding llamas can be much more affordable than feeding other animals of similar size.

Housing Requirements: Llamas are not demanding about housing - all they really need is uninterrupted access to shelter for protection from extremes of hot, cold, or wet weather, plus good fencing. Many llama owners have successfully "improvised" llama living arrangements using existing barns and buildings.

Reproduction: Female llamas are usually fertile by the age of two and can be bred at any time of year. Baby llamas (knows as crias) are born after a long (350 day) gestation period, usually one at a time - twins are rare. Interestingly enough, crias are almost always born during daylight hours; experts believe this is a built-in safety measure of particular value to llamas in their original habitat, ensuring that the new baby is up and moving by the time that darkness falls and night predators arrive. The cria will depend on its mother's milk for four to six months before being weaned.