alpaca

Also known as Vicugna pacaso, Vicugna pacos

domesticated species of South American camelid

OverviewAI-generated

The alpaca, scientifically classified as *Vicugna pacos*, is a species within the genus *Vicugna*. It is an instance of a taxon and is also recognized as a synonym for *Lama pacos*. Common names for this organism include alpaca, alpakka, and alpaka. It belongs to the iconic taxon Mammalia and is not extinct.

The taxon’s range includes Chile, Bolivia, Argentina, and Peru. It is a source of alpaca fiber. Biological records indicate a gestation period of 293 days and a longest observed lifespan of 25.8 years. The species has been described in sources such as the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, The Nuttall Encyclopædia, and the Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition.

Synthesized by Vinony from 22 facts across 2 sources: Wikidata, iNaturalist. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Species

Alpaca

species

Observations4,847

Vicugna pacos L'alpaga (Vicugna pacos) est un mammifère domestique de la famille des camélidés, surtout présent en Amérique du Sud, particulièrement au Pérou. Alors qu'on a longtemps considéré qu'il était très proche du guanaco, une étude de 2001 a montré qu'il avait un ancêtre commun plus récent avec la vigogne qu'avec le guanaco. Comme les autres camélidés, il rumine mais n'est pas classé dans la famille des ruminants. Selon le pelage, on distingue deux types d'alpagas : les suris (en) et les huacayas.

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Wikidata facts

Instance of: taxon
Parent taxon: Vicugna
Image: Alpacas Sillustani (pixinn.net).jpg

Show 12 more facts

taxon name: Vicugna pacos
taxon rank: species
Commons category: Vicugna pacos
Commons gallery: Vicugna pacos
gestation period: 293
taxon common name: alpaka
longest observed lifespan: 25.8
sequenced genome URL: www.ensembl.org/Vicugna_pacos
different from: alpaca
taxon range: Peru
short name: V. pacos
taxon synonym of: Lama pacos

Sources (6)

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Encyclopedic overview

The alpaca (Lama pacos) is a domesticated species of South American camelid. Traditionally, alpacas were kept in herds that grazed on the level heights of the Andes of Southern Peru, Western Bolivia, Ecuador, and Northern Chile. More recently, alpacas may be found on farms and ranches worldwide, with thousands of animals born and raised annually. Alpacas are especially popular in North America, Europe, and Australia.

There are two modern breeds of alpaca, separated based on their respective region of endemism and fiber (wool) type: the Suri alpaca and the Huacaya alpaca. Both breeds produce a highly valued fiber, with Suri alpaca's fiber growing in straight "locks," while Huacaya fiber has a "crimped," wavy texture and grows in bundles. These breeds' fibers are used for making knitted and woven items, similar to sheep's wool.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “alpaca” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.