Long llama
Macrauchenia patachonica
🦙
Chordata
Mammalia
Litoptera
Macraucheniidae
Macrauchenia
Macrauchenia patachonica
Macrauchenia, a long-necked herbivore from South America’s Pleistocene plains, baffled Charles Darwin when he first encountered its remains. This unique ungulate, possibly preyed upon by early humans, was one of the last survivors of South America's once-diverse native megafauna.
Description
Macrauchenia (Macrauchenia patachonica) — Macrauchenia was a bizarre-looking, three-toed hoofed mammal that roamed South America until the end of the last Ice Age. Roughly camel-sized but unrelated to camels, it had a long neck and limbs adapted for open grassland movement. Its most distinctive feature was the positioning of its nasal openings high on its skull, suggesting the presence of a short trunk or large fleshy snout. It likely browsed on leaves, shrubs, and possibly grasses. It lived alongside other endemic South American megafauna and only went extinct after the arrival of humans and climate shifts at the end of the Pleistocene.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
1000
1.8
2.7
3
kg
m
m
m
Mixed Feeder
Omnivores – Balanced
Hunt History
While direct kill sites are rare, Macrauchenia likely came under pressure from early Paleoindian hunters (e.g., Clovis or Fishtail complex peoples) following the Great American Biotic Interchange and during human migration into South America. Its large size and diurnal behavior made it a potential target, especially during seasonal congregations at water sources or grasslands.
Archaeological Evidence of Human Predation:
Pampas Region, Argentina – ~12,000 years ago: Macrauchenia remains found in association with Fishtail projectile points, possibly indicating hunting or scavenging.
El Cedral, Mexico (possible range overlap) – ~10,000 years ago: Extinct Pleistocene megafauna, including Macrauchenia, found near butchered bone assemblages.
Patagonia Sites (e.g., Piedra Museo) – ~11,000 years ago: Evidence of human-megafauna interactions suggests the species was exploited, possibly contributing to its extinction.
Time & Range
Extinction Status
Globally Extinct
Extinction Date
Temporal Range
Region
12000
BP
Late Pleistocene
South America
Wiki Link
Fat Analysis
Fatness Profile:
Medium
Fat %
5
Est. Renderable Fat
50
kg
Targeted Organs
Visceral & subcutaneous
Adipose Depots
Visceral/subcutaneous (general)
Preferred Cuts
Visceral depot
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)
4