Alpacas

=Alpacas =

Relatively familiar to the llama, alpacas are natives to the Andes Mountains of South America. Alpacas are one of the oldest domesticated livestock breeds. They have played a central role in Andean cultures for over five thousand years.

Alpacas were treasured by the Inca civilization for their fleece which was reserved for Inca royalty. Alpacas have provided food, clothing, and transport for generations. They were close to extinction during the Spanish conquest of the Inca, but were able to survive because of their importance to the Incan people and their ability to tolerate harsh conditions.

There are two main types of alpacas: The Suri and Huacayan alpaca. Huacayan alpacas are the more common of the two, consisting of 90% of the world’s population. The dense fleece of the Huacayan alpaca makes them more suitable for the colder climates of the high mountains. Some people think that because the Suri alpacas fleece is less dense, that they were more common prior to the Spanish conquest. But this is only a theory. There are now about 3.5 million alpacas in the world today. Domesticated alpacas mainly eat a variety of plant life such as grass, foliage, and certain herbs. They are also prey to mountain lions, bears, and coyotes.

By: Ceci Carrington