Mammals · Artiodactyla · Camelidae
Alpaca
Vicugna pacos
Not Evaluated
It has not yet been assessed against the IUCN criteria.
The alpaca is a domestic camelid bred in the Andes for its fibre, one of the finest and most highly valued in the world. Genetic analyses published in 2001 showed that it descends from the vicuña and not from the guanaco, as had been believed. It grazes the short grasses of the high Andean bofedales, or peat wetlands, and unlike the llama it is not used as a pack animal. Peru holds most of the world's stock. It is a gregarious animal and suffers if kept apart from other camelids.
Weight
45 kg – 85 kg
Size
1.2 m – 1.5 m
Life expectancy
20 years
