Animal
Alpaca
The alpaca is a small, fluffy cousin of the camel. People in the high mountains of South America raise alpacas for their soft wool.
Alpacas are small, woolly members of the camel family from the high Andes Mountains of South America. People bred them from wild vicuñas thousands of years ago, mainly for their soft, warm fleece. Every alpaca lives with people.
Vicugna pacos is a domesticated South American camelid descended from the vicuña, bred in the Andes between about 6,000 and 7,000 years ago. The most specialized of the four lamoids, it is adapted to marshy ground at 4,000 to 4,800 meters and is the most important of them for fleece production.
Photo: Christophe Meneboeuf, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
Meet the alpaca
The alpaca has a long neck, a small face and pointy ears.
It is covered in thick, soft wool. Alpacas are cousins of camels and llamas, but they are smaller and have no hump.
Alpacas are slender animals with long necks and legs, small heads, pointed ears and short tails. They belong to the camel family, like llamas, but they are smaller: an alpaca stands about 90 centimeters at the shoulder, about as high as a kitchen counter.
You can tell an alpaca from a llama by its face. Alpacas have small, blunt faces and short ears, while llamas have longer faces and curved, banana-shaped ears. Alpacas also have rounder bodies and keep their tails pressed down.
Vicugna pacos is the smallest domesticated camelid. Britannica gives a shoulder height of about 90 centimeters and a weight of 55 to 65 kilograms; the Smithsonian's National Zoo gives a wider adult range of 45 to 90 kilograms, a head and body length of 1.2 to 2.2 meters and a shoulder height of 0.8 to 1.1 meters.
Alpacas differ from llamas in their smaller size, rounded rather than squarish body, blunt face, short ears and a tail pressed close to the body instead of held up. The two can interbreed and produce fertile young, which long confused the question of where alpacas came from. Apart from their teeth, male and female alpacas look much alike.
Quick facts
- Group
- Mammal
- Length
- 1.2 to 2.2 m
- Height
- 0.8 to 1.1 m
- Weight
- 45 to 90 kg
- Lifespan in the wild
- 15 to 20 years
High in the Andes
Alpacas come from the high mountains of South America.
They live on wet, grassy land far up in the mountains. Today people keep alpacas in other places too.
Alpacas come from the Andes Mountains of South America, from southern Colombia and Ecuador down to northern Chile and northern Argentina. They live very high up, on marshy grasslands about 4,000 to 4,800 meters above the sea.
There are no wild alpacas. They are domesticated, which means people bred them over many generations. Their wild ancestor is the vicuña, which still lives in the Andes. Our photo shows two young alpacas at Sillustani, an ancient burial site in Peru.
Britannica describes the alpaca as the most limited in range and the most specialized of the lamoids, adapted to marshy ground at 4,000 to 4,800 meters from southern Colombia and Ecuador to northern Chile and northern Argentina. Peru is the leading producer of alpaca fleece.
Alpacas exist only as domestic animals, so the map shows where they are kept, by continent. Outside South America, the Smithsonian's National Zoo describes alpacas as companion and show animals seen at fairs and fiber festivals throughout North America. The hero photo shows two young alpacas at the pre-Inca burial site of Sillustani, Peru.
Continent
Its habitat
Where can you find this animal?
- Kept by people · Countries and seas named by a scientific source
- Kept by people · Countries and seas named by a scientific source
- Sightings recorded · Records of wild sightings (GBIF)
Kept by people · Countries and seas named by a scientific source
Alpacas exist only as domestic animals. They come from the high, marshy Andes from southern Colombia and Ecuador to northern Chile and northern Argentina; Peru is the leading fleece producer.
Places: South America.
Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica · checked October 2026
Kept by people · Countries and seas named by a scientific source
Kept as fiber, show and companion animals across North America.
Places: North America.
Source: Smithsonian's National Zoo · checked October 2026
Sightings recorded · Records of wild sightings (GBIF)
Counts of GBIF records of wild observations (human and machine) and preserved specimens. Records include introduced populations, vagrants, escaped or released animals and misidentifications, so a country with records is not necessarily part of the native range.
Wild sightings have been recorded in Chile, Peru, Germany, United States, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, UK and 7 more places.
Source: gbif · checked October 2026
Range maps show where scientists say an animal lives, often country by country. An animal may live in only part of a country shown, and sightings records can include animals that wandered far from home.
Gentle grazers
Alpacas eat grass.
They do not need very much food. Their soft feet do not squash the plants as they walk.
Alpacas are grazers: they eat grass. In the Andes, herds feed on the grasses of mountainsides and valleys. For thousands of years they have lived where grass grows thinly, and they need much less food than most animals their size.
Alpacas have no top front teeth at all. Their feet have soft pads, so they do not damage delicate grasses and ground as they graze.
The Smithsonian's National Zoo describes alpacas as strict grazers that have lived for thousands of years where grass grows sparsely, and need much less food than most animals of their size. In human care they are fed fresh grass and low-protein hay.
Alpacas have no upper front teeth. In adult males the upper and lower incisors and lower canines develop into fighting teeth that can exceed 3 centimeters; these teeth develop much less in females, and apart from this males and females differ little. Soft, padded feet, rather than hard hooves, leave even delicate grasses and ground undamaged.
Famous fleece
Alpaca wool is soft and warm.
It keeps out rain and snow. Some alpacas look fluffy. Others have long wool that hangs down like ropes.
Alpacas are famous for their fleece. It is light, strong, shiny and very warm, and it keeps out rain and snow. It comes in about 22 basic colors, from white and pale yellow to gray, brown and black.
There are two kinds of alpaca. Ninety-five out of a hundred are huacayas (wah-KY-uhs), with crimpy fleece that sticks out and looks woolly. Suris have straight, silky fleece that hangs down in long locks, but it does not protect them as well in bad weather.
Alpaca fleece is lightweight, strong, lustrous, highly insulating and resistant to rain and snow, and is almost free of guard hair. The Smithsonian's National Zoo reports about 22 basic natural colors and fiber that is more resilient and much stronger than Merino sheep wool.
Two breeds were developed before Europeans arrived. About 95 percent of alpacas are huacayas, whose crimpy fiber grows perpendicular to the skin. Suris have straight, often finer fiber that hangs in locks, but their less dense coat copes less well with severe weather. Britannica reports two years' growth of about 30 centimeters in huacayas and 60 centimeters in suris, which can reach the ground if left unshorn.
A big baby called a cria
A baby alpaca is called a cria.
It is born in the daytime while its mother stands up. The cria grows fast and drinks milk for about six months.
A mother alpaca is pregnant for about 11 and a half months. She usually has one baby, called a cria, and gives birth standing up, during the day. A newborn cria weighs about 7 to 10 kilograms, which is big for such a small mother.
Crias grow fast. They drink milk until they are about six months old, and by their first birthday most weigh more than 45 kilograms. Females can have their first babies at 16 to 20 months; males are grown up at about two and a half years.
Alpacas are induced ovulators with no heat cycle, so they can breed at any time of year; ovulation follows mating. The Smithsonian's National Zoo gives an average gestation of 335 days, about 11.5 months. A single cria is usually delivered standing, in daylight.
Crias weigh 7.2 to 10 kilograms, large for mothers averaging 54 to 64 kilograms, and usually exceed about 45 kilograms by one year. They are generally weaned at six months. Females are first bred at 16 to 20 months; males mature at about two and a half years. Britannica gives a natural life span of 15 to 20 years.
Hums and herds
Alpacas like to be with other alpacas.
They talk with soft hums. If they see danger, they make a loud alarm call to warn the herd.
Alpacas are herd animals and feel safest in a group. Their only defense is running away, so alpacas need at least one other alpaca for company.
They talk with soft hums and other sounds, and with their bodies, by moving their necks, ears and tails and tilting their heads. They see and hear very well, and when they sense danger they give a sharp alarm call. Alpacas rarely spit at people, but they sometimes spit at each other to complain.
Alpacas are timid, strongly social herd animals whose only defense is flight; the Smithsonian's National Zoo advises that an alpaca needs at least one other alpaca to thrive. Communication combines a soft hum and other calls with body language: neck posture, ear and tail positions and head tilts.
With excellent eyesight and hearing, alpacas warn the herd, and their keepers, of danger with a staccato alarm call. They rarely spit at people unless frightened or mistreated, but use spitting among themselves to register a complaint. Like other domestic camelids, they easily learn to lead, step in and out of vehicles, and cush, or lie down, on command.
Did you know?
Alpacas can learn to sit on command.
Alpacas easily learn to walk on a lead, hop in and out of vehicles and cush, which means lie down.
Like other domestic camelids, alpacas readily learn to lead, load into vehicles and cush (lie down) on command.
Alpacas and Andean herders
People in the Andes have kept alpacas for thousands of years.
They cut the wool and make warm clothes and blankets. Long ago, only kings and queens wore the finest alpaca robes.
Andean people bred alpacas from wild vicuñas more than 6,000 years ago, centuries before the Inca Empire. In Inca times, robes made of alpaca and vicuña fleece were kept for nobles and royalty.
Today herders in the Andes still raise alpacas for fiber and meat. Alpacas are usually sheared every two years. Peru produces the most alpaca fleece, much of it sold in the city of Arequipa, and it is made into parkas, sleeping bags and coat linings.
Genetic studies in the early 21st century showed that alpacas descend from vicuñas, not guanacos, and Britannica dates their domestication in the Andes to between 6,000 and 7,000 years ago. Under the Inca, robes of alpaca and vicuña fleece were reserved for nobility and royalty.
Fleece remains the alpaca's main value. Animals are normally sheared every two years, suris yielding about 3 kilograms and huacayas about 2.5 kilograms of fleece each. Peru leads production, with most marketed in Arequipa, and its government runs a breeding program to improve fleece quality and quantity. The fiber goes into parkas, sleeping bags, coat linings and suit fabrics.
Did you know?
Alpaca wool comes in many colors.
Alpaca fleece comes naturally in about 22 basic colors, with many shades and blends in between.
The Smithsonian's National Zoo reports about 22 basic fleece colors and fiber stronger and more resilient than Merino wool.
Taking good care of alpacas
There are many alpacas, because people look after them.
Alpacas need friends, grass and a haircut. Their wild cousins, vicuñas, live free in the mountains.
Alpacas are not endangered, because people raise and care for them. As domestic animals, they depend on good care: fresh grass or hay, regular shearing and, most of all, other alpacas for company.
Their story is tied to two wild relatives, the vicuña and the guanaco, which still live in the Andes. The vicuña is the alpaca's wild ancestor: Andean people began breeding alpacas from vicuñas more than 6,000 years ago.
As a domestic species, the alpaca is not assessed on the IUCN Red List. Its welfare depends on husbandry suited to a timid, social grazer: companionship of other alpacas, suitable forage such as grass and low-protein hay, and regular shearing.
The alpaca's wild relatives, the vicuña, its ancestor, and the guanaco, still live in the Andes. Peru's national breeding program aims at better fleece, and alpacas remain important to Andean herders. For the conservation of the wild species, see the vicuña and guanaco topics.
Did you know?
Long ago, only kings and queens wore the best alpaca robes.
During the Inca Empire, robes made from alpaca and vicuña fleece were kept for nobles and royalty.
Under the Inca, alpaca and vicuña fleece robes were reserved for the nobility and royalty.
Amazing facts
-
Alpacas hum to each other.
Alpacas talk to each other with soft hums, and give a sharp alarm call when they sense danger.
Alpaca communication includes a soft hum, a staccato alarm call and body language of neck, ears, tail and head.
-
Alpaca wool comes in many colors.
Alpaca fleece comes naturally in about 22 basic colors, with many shades and blends in between.
The Smithsonian's National Zoo reports about 22 basic fleece colors and fiber stronger and more resilient than Merino wool.
-
Long ago, only kings and queens wore the best alpaca robes.
During the Inca Empire, robes made from alpaca and vicuña fleece were kept for nobles and royalty.
Under the Inca, alpaca and vicuña fleece robes were reserved for the nobility and royalty.
-
Alpacas can learn to sit on command.
Alpacas easily learn to walk on a lead, hop in and out of vehicles and cush, which means lie down.
Like other domestic camelids, alpacas readily learn to lead, load into vehicles and cush (lie down) on command.
Words to know
- fleece
- the woolly coat of an animal such as an alpaca or sheep
- cria
- a baby alpaca or llama
- domesticated
- tamed and raised by people over many generations
- shear
- to cut an animal's wool or fleece
- grazer
- an animal that eats grass
- huacaya
- the fluffy, woolly-looking kind of alpaca
Discovery challenge
-
Which wild animal did alpacas come from?
Which wild animal is the alpaca's ancestor?
From which species was the alpaca domesticated, according to genetic studies?
- The vicuña
- The zebra
- The giraffe
Show the answer
The vicuña
Alpacas came from wild vicuñas.
Andean people bred alpacas from wild vicuñas thousands of years ago.
The vicuña; early 21st-century genetic studies overturned the idea that alpacas came from guanacos.
-
Why do people raise alpacas?
What are alpacas mainly raised for?
Among the four lamoids, what is the alpaca most important for?
- Their soft fleece
- Their eggs
- Pulling carts
Show the answer
Their soft fleece
People use alpaca wool to make warm clothes.
Alpacas are raised mainly for fleece, which is made into warm, water-resistant clothes and blankets.
Fleece production: alpaca fiber is light, strong, lustrous, insulating and resistant to rain and snow.
-
Why do alpacas live together in a group?
Why should an alpaca never be kept alone?
Why does an alpaca need the company of other alpacas?
- It is a herd animal that feels safe in a group
- It needs help finding water
- It cannot eat by itself
Show the answer
It is a herd animal that feels safe in a group
They are herd animals. They feel safe together.
Alpacas are herd animals whose only defense is running away, so they feel safest in a group.
Alpacas are timid herd animals whose only defense is flight; they need at least one other alpaca to thrive.
-
How can you tell an alpaca from a llama?
How is an alpaca different from a llama?
Which feature best distinguishes an alpaca from a llama?
- It is smaller, with short ears
- It has two humps
- It has stripes
Show the answer
It is smaller, with short ears
Alpacas are smaller and have short ears.
Alpacas are smaller than llamas, with blunt faces and short ears; llamas have long, banana-shaped ears.
Smaller size with a blunt face and short ears; llamas are larger, with elongated faces and banana-shaped ears.
Places where you might see it
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Watch
Country
Peru
Peru is a country on the Pacific coast of South America. It has a dry desert coast, the high Andes mountains and the Amazon rainforest, and about 34 million people lived there in 2025, many of them in the capital, Lima.
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Watch
Natural wonder
Andes
The Andes run down the whole western side of South America, from the Caribbean coast to the continent's southern tip, through seven countries. Britannica measures them at about 8,900 kilometers, and their highest peak, Aconcagua, rises to 6,959 meters. They are still growing as one plate of Earth's crust slides under another, which is why the Andes have so many volcanoes and earthquakes.
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Watch
Natural wonder
Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca lies 3,810 meters above sea level in the Andes of South America, on the border between Peru and Bolivia. Britannica calls it the world's highest lake that large ships can sail on. Some people still live on floating islands made of totora reeds, and a big, wrinkly frog lives in its water and nowhere else.
Explore next
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Watch
3D
Animal
Llama
Llamas are South American cousins of camels, without the hump. People in the Andes Mountains bred them from wild guanacos thousands of years ago, and they still carry loads, give wool and even guard sheep. Llamas do not live in the wild: every llama lives with people.
-
Watch
Country
Peru
Peru is a country on the Pacific coast of South America. It has a dry desert coast, the high Andes mountains and the Amazon rainforest, and about 34 million people lived there in 2025, many of them in the capital, Lima.
-
Watch
Natural wonder
Andes
The Andes run down the whole western side of South America, from the Caribbean coast to the continent's southern tip, through seven countries. Britannica measures them at about 8,900 kilometers, and their highest peak, Aconcagua, rises to 6,959 meters. They are still growing as one plate of Earth's crust slides under another, which is why the Andes have so many volcanoes and earthquakes.
-
Watch
3D
Animal
Domestic sheep
Domestic sheep are farm animals that people tamed in western Asia thousands of years ago. They graze on grass, digest it with a four-part stomach and stick together in flocks. People keep sheep for wool, meat, milk and leather.
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Watch
Natural wonder
Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca lies 3,810 meters above sea level in the Andes of South America, on the border between Peru and Bolivia. Britannica calls it the world's highest lake that large ships can sail on. Some people still live on floating islands made of totora reeds, and a big, wrinkly frog lives in its water and nowhere else.
-
Watch
Animal
Bactrian camel
The Bactrian camel is the two-humped camel of Central Asia's cold deserts and steppes. People tamed it thousands of years ago, and it carried goods along the Silk Road. Its wild cousin, the wild camel, is a separate species that is endangered.
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Watch
Animal
Aardvark
The aardvark is a shy night digger of African savannas. It sniffs out ant and termite nests, rips them open with its spade-like claws and laps up the insects with a sticky tongue about 30 centimeters long. Its name means 'earth pig' in Afrikaans.
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Watch
Animal
African buffalo
The African buffalo is a huge, cow-like grazer with heavy, curving horns. It lives in herds that can number in the thousands, and a herd will rush to protect a calf in danger. It lives across much of Africa south of the Sahara, from open savannas to rainforests.
For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Explain what domestication means, using the alpaca and its wild ancestor, the vicuña.
- Describe the alpaca's fleece and why it is valuable.
- Describe the alpaca life cycle and herd behavior.
- Tell an alpaca from a llama.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Why might an animal that lives high in cold, wet mountains need such a warm, water-resistant coat?
- Why do you think alpacas feel safer in a group?
- How do the needs of a domestic animal differ from those of a wild one?
Try at home or in class
- Check clothing labels at home for alpaca, wool or other animal fibers, and compare how they feel.
- Measure 90 centimeters up a wall to see how tall an alpaca is at the shoulder.
Key vocabulary: fleece, cria, domesticated, shear, grazer, huacaya
Where these facts come from
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and GBIF Occurrence Search , Global Biodiversity Information Facility (CC0 1.0 (backbone); occurrence counts are facts derived from records under CC0, CC BY and CC BY-NC)
- Alpaca , Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Alpaca , Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file: Public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA only (credited on each page))
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated October 24, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.