alpaca: Quick Facts

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The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Sep. 30, 2026

Facts

Also Known As	Vicugna pacos

Photos and 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.

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.

alpaca figurine

Follow Alpaca Shearing and Wool Processing and Weaving in the Andes

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

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