Alpaca
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ALPACA, one of two domesticated breeds of South American camel-like ungulates, derived from the wild huanaco or guanaco.
Alpaca: Quiz Answers
Alpaca are woolly mammals related to camels and llamas. These herding animals live in the Peruvian Andes Mountains of western South America, in grasslands and scrub at altitudes from 12,800 to 15,000 feet.
Alpaca Partially domesticated South American mammal of the camel family . It belongs to the same (genus) Lama.
Alpacas have a life span of about 15 - 20+ years. Some alpacas make a humming sound; whining, grumbling, clucking, and other assorted sounds are used by alpacas to communicate.
Alpaca
Related Category: Vertebrate Zoology
(lpk´), partially domesticated South American hoofed mammal, Lama pacos, of the camel family. Genetic studies show that it is a descendant of the vicuña.
Alpacas are kept in herds that graze on the level heights of the Andes of Ecuador, southern Peru, northern Bolivia, and northern Chile at an altitude of 3500 to 5000 meters above sea-level, throughout the year.
Wool
Alpacas were domesticated to be a food source about 5,500 years ago. One or two thousand years later, people began using alpacas for other purposes, including wool and transportation. Today they are bred exclusively for wool.
Alpacas are the smallest of the domesticated camelid species. The weight of an adult alpaca ranges from 55 to 65 kg. Head and body length ranges from 1200 to 2250 mm, tail length ranges from 150 to 250 mm, and shoulder height from 900 to 1300 mm.
alpaca
alpaca is held from Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia in the almost treeless high mountain region-landscapes. This pet-form bred on wool-profit delivers a fin...
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Tylopoda (camels, llamas and alpacas) and the chevrotains have a three-chambered stomach while the rest of Ruminantia have four-chambered stomachs.
Tylopoda Includes Camelidae (camels, llamas, alpacas, etc.) plus several extinct families. Extinct members of the Tylopoda had small hooves, but in living camels the hooves have been lost and replaced by pads.
The llama and alpaca are only known in the domestic state, and are variable in size and color, being often white, black, or piebald.
The domesticated forms are the llama and alpaca. The llama is used as a pack animal, but it is also bred for its wool and its tender meat. Its dung is used as fuel in areas where there is little timber. The alpaca is bred for its superb wool.
The two domestic forms from South America (the llama and alpaca) were formerly considered as species in their own right; today, they are lumped together with their wild counterparts (the guanaco and vicuña, respectively).
One group is found in South America and consists of the alpaca, llama, vicunas, and guanacos. The other group is found in Africa and Asia and consists of the camels (bactrian and dromedarian).
Differentiating characteristics between llamas and alpacas are that llamas are larger and have more elongated heads. Alpacas also have a more luxurious wool than llamas.
Hoffman, C. and I. Asmus. Caring for Llamas and Alpacas. Rocky Mountain Llama and Alpaca Assoc. Pioneer Impressions, CO. 1989.
Nowak, R. M. Walker's Mammals of the World, Fifth Ed. Vol. II, Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991.
Llamas and alpacas have been domesticated. Camels exist only in the domesticated state in Africa and Asia. The Arabian camel has been successfully introduced into Australian desert regions where it is now feral.
The term camel is also used more broadly, to describe any of the six camel-like creatures in the family Camelidae: the two true camels, and the four South American camelids: Llama, Alpaca, Guanaco and Vicuna.
The dromedary camel is one of the best-known members of the camel family. Other members of the camel family include the llama and the alpaca in South America. The Dromedary has one hump on its back, in contrast to the Bactrian camel which has two.
Llamas (lama glama) are one of four types of camelids including: alpaca, guanaco and vicuna.
The group is divided into three basic subgroups based on the anatomy of their stomach. These include the ruminants (cattle, goats, deer, sheep and antelope), pseudo ruminants (camels, llama, alpaca, vicuna and guanaco) and the non-ruiminants (pigs, ...
This one-of-a-kind experience provides first-hand opportunities to feel an alpaca's woolly coat, hear the haunting calls of an owl, or touch the prickly spines of a prehistoric-looking insect.
 See also: Camel, Llama, Guanaco, Dromedary, Sheep
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