In South America, alpacas live in the cold, windy Andes Mountains. The alpaca is farmed mainly for fibre. Alpacas are also used to guard other stock. Males over two years of age are particularly useful to chase fixes or dogs, protecting other livestock such as sheep.
South American camelids were a vital part of life in the Andes in the days of the Incas before the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors. During that time, the wearing of robes of alpaca was reserved for the nobility and royalty.
Alpacas are slender-bodied animals with a long neck and legs, a short tail, a small head and large pointed ears. They are about one-half the size of a llama, Alpacas weigh between 100-200 pounds and are about 36 tall at the withers.
Alpacas can come in a very wide variety of colors. The main colors though are brown, black, white palomino and grey.
They are known to be hardy and disease resistant and protective of their young from dogs and foxes.
Alpacas come in two varieties, distinguishable by their fleece. Huacaya alpacas have shorter crimpier, spongy fibres, whereas Suri alpacas have longer straight fibres with no crimp.
Alpacas of Andes Mountains
