Llamas

Llamas

Llamas
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 4 to 8
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	9.09

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		economic, hemoglobin, relatively, spitting, intelligent, extremely, authority, droppings, harsh, regurgitate, footwear, wooly, grounds, vegetation, leathery, rarely
	content words:		Andes Mountains, South America

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Other Languages
     French: Les lamas
     Spanish: Llamas
     German: Lamas

Llamas

¹     Llamas are animals born to live in harsh environments. Just like their famous relatives -- camels, llamas have been domesticated for thousands of years. For people living in the Andes Mountains of South America, llamas offer several economic benefits. Able to carry about 200 pounds of goods on their backs and walk for twelve hours a day, llamas have long been used by the natives as a means of transportation. Llamas' wooly fur, milk, and meat help to keep residents of the Andes warm and healthy. Even llamas' droppings can be used as fuel.

²     Standing 5-6 feet tall, llamas are like camels without humps. They come in a variety of colors, ranging from pure white to pure black. Some llamas wear fur coats in a single color, but others are decorated with a few patches of different colors. Llamas have a leathery pad underneath each of their two-toed feet, allowing them to walk on stony and rough grounds.

³     Equipped with their thick coats and specially designed footwear, llamas are able to survive in places of low temperatures and uneven ground. As llamas' hemoglobin has a greater ability to hold on to oxygen and their blood contains more red blood cells than other mammals, llamas are also able to survive in places of high altitudes where oxygen is scarce. No wonder llamas can adapt perfectly well by living as high up as 13,000 feet in the Andes!

Paragraphs 4 to 5:
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