The alpaca ( Vicugna pacos ) is a South American member of the camel family , Camelidae. It is a domesticated animal that comes from the vicuña and is related to the llama and guanaco. Alpacas are slender-bodied animals that inhabit marshy, mountainous areas from Colombia and Ecuador to Chile and Argentina. They have a long neck and legs, a short tail, a small head, and large pointed ears. Alpacas are smaller than llamas, standing about 90 cm (35 inches) high at the shoulder and weighing 55 to 65 kg (121 to 143 pounds). They are known for their shaggy hair , which is used for fleece production and can vary in color. Alpaca fleece is lightweight, strong, lustrous, and resistant to rain and snow.

Where do alpacas live?

The alpaca ( Vicugna pacos ) is a South American member of the camel family that lives in marshy, mountainous areas from southern Colombia and Ecuador south to northern Chile and Argentina. They are adapted to elevations of 4,000 to 4,800 metres (13,000 to 15,700 feet). Alpacas are related to llamas , guanacos , and vicuñas . Genetic studies show that alpacas are domesticated descendants of vicuñas from the Andes Mountains between 6,000 and 7,000 years ago.

What does an alpaca look like?

The alpaca (Vicugna pacos) is a domesticated South American animal belonging to the camel family Camelidae . Alpacas are native to marshy, mountainous regions from Colombia and Ecuador to Chile and Argentina. Alpacas are slender animals with long necks and legs, small heads, large pointed ears and short tails. They are smaller than llamas, standing about 90 cm (35 inches) at the shoulder and weighing 55 to 65 kg (121 to 143 pounds). Their shaggy coat varies in color from black or brown to gray and tan, pale yellow, and sometimes white. Alpacas are bred for their fleece, which is lightweight, strong, lustrous, insulating, and water-resistant. There are two alpaca breeds: the suri, with fine, silky fleece, and the huacaya, with shorter, coarser fleece.

How do alpacas differ from llamas?

Alpacas and llamas, domesticated South American mammals in the camel family, share a close relation as lamoids. While interbreeding can occur between them, key differences distinguish the two species. Alpacas are smaller, standing about 90 cm high at the shoulder and weighing 55 to 65 kg. Llamas are larger, standing about 120 cm high at the shoulder and weighing around 113 kg. Alpacas have shaggy coats of hair used for fleece production, with colors ranging from white to black. Llamas have coarser hair, though breeders are working to create softer llama wool. Alpacas have small, blunt faces with short ears, while llamas have elongated faces and banana-shaped ears. Llamas can carry heavy loads, averaging 45 to 60 kg for almost 20 miles daily, and can serve as livestock guards. Alpacas are timid and prefer staying with their herd.

What is alpaca fiber used for?

Alpaca fiber, known for being lightweight, strong, and lustrous, has high insulation value and is resistant to rain and snow. It is used in items such as parkas, sleeping bags, and fine coat linings. Alpaca fiber is sometimes combined with other fibers to make dress and lightweight suit fabrics, and it is also woven as a pile fabric used both for coating and as a lining for outerwear. Alpacas are the most important of the four lamoid species for fleece production. During the Incan civilization, robes made of alpaca and vicuña fleeces were reserved for the nobility and royalty. Peru is the leading producer of alpaca fleece. The Peruvian government has established a breeding program to improve the quality of alpaca fleece and increase its production.

How are alpacas raised and cared for by people?

Alpacas are South American members of the camel family that live in marshy, mountainous areas from Colombia and Ecuador to Chile and Argentina. They are raised for their fleece, which is lightweight, strong, lustrous, insulating, and water-resistant. Alpacas are typically sheared every two years. Suris yield fleeces of about 3 kg (6.5 pounds), while huacayas give around 2.5 kg (5.5 pounds). The Peruvian government has a breeding program to improve fleece quality and production. With proper care, alpacas can live for 15–20 years.

alpaca

Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

A white alpaca (Lama pacos) stands on rocky terrain with sparse vegetation, facing to the right.

Two brown alpacas with thick wool standing on grassy ground in Peru.

Follow Alpaca Shearing and Wool Processing and Weaving in the Andes

Close-up of two alpacas, Lama pacos, with thick, fluffy coats, one tan and one white, both chewing on strands of hay.

World map showing the geographic ranges of camelid species, with color-coded outlines for each: alpaca, llama, guanaco, and vicuna ranges are marked in South America; Arabian camel or dromedary in parts of Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia; domesticated Bactrian camel across Central Asia; and wild Bactrian camel in a small area of East Central Asia. Australia is shaded for introduced dromedaries.

Visit Aymara and Quechua people on the Altiplano of Bolivia and Peru to see the ancient drop-spindle technique

At a Glance

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Quick Facts

Related Topics:: What’s the Difference Between Llamas and Alpacas?; alpaca fibre; huacaya; suri

On the Web:: NSW Government - Education - Animals in Schools - Alpacas (Nov. 08, 2026)

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alpaca

mammal

Also known as: Vicugna pacos

Written and fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 8, 2026 •History

Top Questions

What is an alpaca?
The alpaca (Vicugna pacos) is a South American member of the camel family, Camelidae. It is a domesticated animal that comes from the vicuña and is related to the llama and guanaco.

Alpacas are slender-bodied animals that inhabit marshy, mountainous areas from Colombia and Ecuador to Chile and Argentina. They have a long neck and legs, a short tail, a small head, and large pointed ears.

Alpacas are smaller than llamas, standing about 90 cm (35 inches) high at the shoulder and weighing 55 to 65 kg (121 to 143 pounds). They are known for their shaggy hair, which is used for fleece production and can vary in color. Alpaca fleece is lightweight, strong, lustrous, and resistant to rain and snow.
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1. alpaca
2. What’s the Difference Between Llamas and Alpacas?
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Where do alpacas live?
The alpaca (Vicugna pacos) is a South American member of the camel family that lives in marshy, mountainous areas from southern Colombia and Ecuador south to northern Chile and Argentina. They are adapted to elevations of 4,000 to 4,800 metres (13,000 to 15,700 feet). Alpacas are related to llamas, guanacos, and vicuñas. Genetic studies show that alpacas are domesticated descendants of vicuñas from the Andes Mountains between 6,000 and 7,000 years ago.
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What does an alpaca look like?
The alpaca (Vicugna pacos) is a domesticated South American animal belonging to the camel family Camelidae. Alpacas are native to marshy, mountainous regions from Colombia and Ecuador to Chile and Argentina.

Alpacas are slender animals with long necks and legs, small heads, large pointed ears and short tails. They are smaller than llamas, standing about 90 cm (35 inches) at the shoulder and weighing 55 to 65 kg (121 to 143 pounds). Their shaggy coat varies in color from black or brown to gray and tan, pale yellow, and sometimes white.

Alpacas are bred for their fleece, which is lightweight, strong, lustrous, insulating, and water-resistant. There are two alpaca breeds: the suri, with fine, silky fleece, and the huacaya, with shorter, coarser fleece.
2 Britannica Sources
1. alpaca
2. What’s the Difference Between Llamas and Alpacas?
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How do alpacas differ from llamas?
Alpacas and llamas, domesticated South American mammals in the camel family, share a close relation as lamoids. While interbreeding can occur between them, key differences distinguish the two species.

Alpacas are smaller, standing about 90 cm high at the shoulder and weighing 55 to 65 kg. Llamas are larger, standing about 120 cm high at the shoulder and weighing around 113 kg. Alpacas have shaggy coats of hair used for fleece production, with colors ranging from white to black. Llamas have coarser hair, though breeders are working to create softer llama wool.

Alpacas have small, blunt faces with short ears, while llamas have elongated faces and banana-shaped ears. Llamas can carry heavy loads, averaging 45 to 60 kg for almost 20 miles daily, and can serve as livestock guards. Alpacas are timid and prefer staying with their herd.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What is alpaca fiber used for?
Alpaca fiber, known for being lightweight, strong, and lustrous, has high insulation value and is resistant to rain and snow. It is used in items such as parkas, sleeping bags, and fine coat linings. Alpaca fiber is sometimes combined with other fibers to make dress and lightweight suit fabrics, and it is also woven as a pile fabric used both for coating and as a lining for outerwear.

Alpacas are the most important of the four lamoid species for fleece production. During the Incan civilization, robes made of alpaca and vicuña fleeces were reserved for the nobility and royalty. Peru is the leading producer of alpaca fleece. The Peruvian government has established a breeding program to improve the quality of alpaca fleece and increase its production.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How are alpacas raised and cared for by people?
Alpacas are South American members of the camel family that live in marshy, mountainous areas from Colombia and Ecuador to Chile and Argentina. They are raised for their fleece, which is lightweight, strong, lustrous, insulating, and water-resistant.

Alpacas are typically sheared every two years. Suris yield fleeces of about 3 kg (6.5 pounds), while huacayas give around 2.5 kg (5.5 pounds). The Peruvian government has a breeding program to improve fleece quality and production. With proper care, alpacas can live for 15–20 years.
1 Britannica Source
1. alpaca
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

alpaca, (Vicugna pacos), domesticated South American member of the camel family, Camelidae (order Artiodactyla), that derives from the vicuña (Vicugna vicugna) and is closely related to the other lamoids (llama [Lama glama] and guanaco [L. guanicoe]) as well. Alpacas inhabit marshy mountainous areas from southern Colombia and Ecuador south to northern Chile and northern Argentina. They are slender-bodied animals with a long neck and long legs, a short tail, a small head, and large pointed ears.

Alpacas are the most limited in range and the most specialized of the four species of lamoids, being adapted to marshy ground at altitudes from 4,000 to 4,800 metres (13,000 to 15,700 feet). Alpacas are readily distinguished from llamas by their smaller size; they stand approximately 90 cm (35 inches) high at the shoulder and weigh 55 to 65 kg (121 to 143 pounds). The alpaca also differs from the llama in having a rounded, rather than squarish, body and in its habit of pressing its tail close to the body, rather than holding it erect as does the llama. The alpaca’s shaggy coat varies in colour from the usual black or brown through lighter shades of gray and tan to pale yellow and, occasionally, white.

The alpaca’s origin has been a matter of significant debate for decades. This debate was complicated by the knowledge that alpacas and llamas are able to breed with one another and produce fertile offspring, which suggested that both species stemmed from guanacos. (Guanacos are the parent species of the llama.) However, genetic studies conducted in the early 21st century determined that alpacas are the domesticated descendants of vicuñas and that this domestication occurred in the Andes Mountains between 6,000 and 7,000 years ago.

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Alpacas are the most important of the lamoids for fleece production. During the period of Incan civilization, the wearing of robes made of alpaca and vicuña fleeces was reserved for the nobility and royalty. Two breeds of alpaca, the huacaya and the suri, were developed in pre-Columbian times. The fleece of the suri is fine and silky and grows long enough to touch the ground if the animal is not sheared. The fleece of the huacaya is shorter and coarser by comparison. (See specialty hair fibre.) The alpaca’s fleece is remarkably lightweight, strong, lustrous, high in insulation value, and resistant to rain and snow. It is used in parkas, sleeping bags, and fine coat linings. Alpaca fibre is sometimes combined with other fibres to make dress and lightweight suit fabrics and is also woven as a pile fabric used both for coating and as a lining for outerwear. Peru is the leading producer of the fleece, most of it being marketed in the city of Arequipa. The Peruvian government has established a breeding program to improve the quality of alpaca fleece and increase its production.

Alpacas are normally sheared every two years, the suris yielding fine fleeces of about 3 kg (6.5 pounds) per animal and the huacayas giving coarser fleeces weighing about 2.5 kg (5.5 pounds). Hair growth in two years is about 30 cm (12 inches) in the huacaya and 60 cm (23.6 inches) in the suri. Individual fibres within the fleece range from about 20 to 40 cm (about 7.9 to 15.7 inches) in length at the time of shearing. Alpacas have a natural life span of 15–20 years.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn.

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