Brown Alpaca by Ghirin

Brown Alpaca by Ghirin

The alpaca (Lama pacos), a relative of the llama, is a domesticated camelid from the Andes Mountains of South America.

Unlike the llama, the alpaca has been bred for its wool and is much smaller than the llama. The wool of the alpaca is among the finest in the world, bested only by that of the vicuna and certain breeds of goat.

Alpacas come in two wool varieties, suri and huacaya. The wool of the suri alpaca is finer and straighter than that of the huacaya. It falls in locks along the sides of the suri alpaca. The huacaya alpaca is more common than the suri; its wool is crimpy and gives the huacaya a "teddy bear" appearance. The wool of either variety comes in several colors, from white to black.

The peoples of the Andes domesticated the ancestors of the alpaca approximately 5000 years ago and these animals were used as a source of wealth.

*Inspired by the Zoo Tycoon Brains Trust at the Zoo Tek Zoo Tycoon Forums.

References:

http://alpacaplanet....lpacas_FAQ.html

http://www.alpaca.com/thealpaca.cfm

http://www.americasa...outalpacas.html

http://www.llama-llo...id_history.html (excellent picture)

Walker's Mammals of the World, Nowak, 1999.

Updated 2010-10-30

Just to save space with less in zip and smaller image.