Alpaca Relatives: South American Camels

Llama, Guanac, Alpaca, Vicuna are South American camels. They live mainly in the Andes of Peru, and their breeding is an economic activity of great importance to many people in the highlands of Peru.

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Lama

The llama is the largest and heaviest of the South American camels. Its long legs and prominent, curved ears are features that distinguish it from other camels. Llamas have been domesticated and used as a means of transport since pre-Inca times, and even today the llama is part of the customs and religious rituals of many different Andean peoples. There are two types of llamas: Qara or "hairless" and Chaku or "woolly". Llama hair is coarser than alpacas, but can be just as soft when brushed. Almost 65% of all llamas live in the highlands of Bolivia.

Scientific name: Vicugna Pacos

Population: 4 million

Residence: Peru, Chile and Bolivia

Guanaco

The guanaco is a wild camel that lives in small groups of mostly females, usually dominated by one male. Guanac wool fiber has special properties and high quality. Another important feature is the pink shade of the fiber. The guanaco is the only South American camel that can easily adapt to different environments. It can live at sea level or at high altitudes, as high as 4,600 meters above sea level.

Scientific name: Guanaco (Lama guanicoe)

Population: 0.6 million

Habitat: Argentina, Chile, Peru and Bolivia

Vicuna

The vicuña is the smallest of the South American camels, with a height of about 90 cm and a weight of about 50 kg. There are about 180,000 vicuñas in South America, most of them in Peru, with smaller numbers in Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. The vicuña is covered with an extremely smooth, shiny coat. About 200 gr of fiber cut from Vicuña is produced per year. per animal. Its hair is considered the best animal fiber in the world, and the animal was threatened with extinction in the 1950s.

Scientific name: Vicuña (Vicugna)

Population: 250,000

Place of residence: Peru, Chile, Bolivia and

Argentina