Alpaca

farm animal · Andes · fiber · camelid

Mountain home. Alpacas originally lived high up in the Andes Mountains of South America, where they grazed peacefully in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Chile.

Soft and luxurious. People raise alpacas mainly for their thick, woolly fiber, which is soft, warm, and used to make clothes and blankets.

Spread worldwide. While alpacas started in South America, they now live on farms everywhere from North America to Europe to Australia, with thousands of new ones born each year.

Easy to care for. Alpacas are gentle, friendly animals that do well in herds and are much easier to manage than many other farm animals.