History Alpacas are native to the Andean regions of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and parts of Chile and Argentina. They were first domesticated in Peru about 5,000 years ago and numbered in the tens of millions by the time of the Spanish conquest. Alpacas were first imported into the United States in 1984. There are over 3 million alpacas found in the world today.
Alpacas mostly inhabit the high plains regions of Chile, Bolivia and Peru.
Ninety percent of the world alpaca population is huacaya. They are readily distinguished from llamas by their smaller size. They also differ from llamas in having a rounded, rather than squarish body and in their habit of pressing their tail close to the body rather than holding it erect as does the llama. Their life span is 15-20 years. Care Alpacas are strictly grazers.