What Animal Has Feet That Are Like Boots?

They aren’t real boots, but the guanaco of South America has pads on its feet that work like boots do to keep their feet from burning on desert sand or freezing in mountain snow.

Did you know that the guanaco, the vicuna, the alpaca, and the llama are all related South American animals and that they are all cousins to the camel?

A guanaco, for example, has the ability to get what moisture it needs from the plants it feeds on and can go for very long periods without water. The guanaco and the vicuna are both wild species and have always been hunted for their skins.

The alpaca is a domestic animal that like a sheep, is raised for its wool. Of them all, the llama is biggest and strongest and long ago was tamed to work as a beast of burden.

We bet you didn’t know that tens of thousands of years ago, all these animals originated from a type of camel that started life in what is now the U.S.A.!