Alpaca (Lama pacos)

About Alpaca (Lama pacos)

• Kingdom: Animals
• Phylum: Chordates
• Class: Mammals
• Order: Even-toed Ungalates and Cetacean
• Family: Camelidae

Alpacas inhabit the Andean Altiplano, i.e. the Andean high plateau, preferably near wet areas. The climate of the Altiplano is severe, reaching temperatures of below 0°C during the night and 16°C during the day. Annual precipitation ranges from 400 to 700 mm. In this semi-arid region, grasses prevail. Alpacas are dependent on humans. There are reports of feral populations of llamas in South America; however, that does not seem to be the case for alpacas.

Range elevation: 1000 to 4800 m.

Habitat Regions: temperate ; tropical ; terrestrial

Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; mountains

Other Habitat Features: agricultural

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