Details
Vicugna pacos
The alpaca is a domesticated South American camelid kept for its soft fleece. Herds graze highland pastures and live closely with human management.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It derives from Neotropical mountain grasslands and is kept mainly on Andean highland pasture. Cool, dry open country suits it well.
Length 120-220 cm; weight 48-84 kg. It has a long neck, padded two-toed feet, and dense soft fleece. Coat colors range from white and brown to black and grey.
Diurnal and herd-living, it grazes calmly in groups. Spitting may occur during dominance disputes or defense.
A herbivore, it eats grasses and low plants. A specialized foregut helps it use coarse highland forage, and soft lips select food close to the ground.
Females usually bear a single cria and nurse it within the herd. Young stand soon after birth and follow the mother.
It is treated as Least Concern as a domestic species. Welfare, grazing management, and sustainable fiber production are the main concerns.
