Llama Alarm Cry!

LLAMA ALARM CRY!

January 9, 2011

Here is the sound of a llama's alarm cry! If you scoured the Internet, you'd be hard-pressed to find this sound! Mama Llama has been patiently (kinda) waiting for more than a year for one of her llamas to emit this cry (while having a video camera available). Finally, it happened today.

You're not going to believe that this sound is coming from a llama--but it is! It's the typical llama alarm cry. Maybe Dalai Llama thought he saw a coyote! That's usually when the alarm cry goes out. The sound is mind-boggling. Do watch this video then return for a few more facts!

Click to hear the Llama Alarm Cry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_JIUS9PPxw&t=5s

 

• Did you find that sound eerie? 
• Did you disbelieve that the white llama was emitting that sound?
• Do you think it sounds like chickens under water, or a crying baby?
• Did you notice that the llama never opened his mouth? 

Llamas make a few other noises in addition to the alarm cry. For example, they hum. Some say the hum is equivalent to “Aloha,” in that it has many meanings. For the llama, humming can signify worry, impatience or even reassurance to the other llamas. In Mama Llama’s experience, however, humming means that the llama is annoyed. Pajama Llama will hum if it’s taking too long to get his pack out the gate for their animal adventure to the park. He’ll also hum if his pack is walking too slowly on the trail. Pajama Llama actually hums a lot, but as the pack leader, he’s in charge of keeping the other llamas safe, so dawdling annoys him.

Aside from alarming and humming, llamas also orgle when they’re breeding, they cluck at other males perceived as competitors, and they snort before engaging in a fight. Mama Llama’s favorite sound is the “raspberry.” This occurs whenever llamas from different packs greet each other. Then their bulbous lips vibrate rapidly, and the resulting sound much like a sneeze. A little bit of spit flies as the llamas’ lips flap around, but that’s friendly spit, eagerly shared among llamas.    

With all these sounds—alarming, humming, orgling, clucking, snorting and making “raspberries”—you might think that llamas are noisy animals. But they’re not; they’re mostly completely silent. That makes them wonderfully quiet neighbors, whose infrequent vocalizations are mostly delightful to witness.

Happy Trails from Mama Llama!