Alpacas are members of what is known as the family of South American Camelids or SACs for short. SACs are found in the central region of the Andes mainly in Peru and Chile but there are some in Bolivia and Argentina. There are four members of this family.

The largest member of this family is the better-known llama, bred as a pack animal and is believed to be descended from the guanaco. The guanaco is the second largest and has not been domesticated although there are a few in Britain. Next comes the alpaca, which was bred purely for its fleece.

Alpacas, along with llamas, are believed to have been domesticated some 6000 years ago. They are the only pre-European livestock domestication in the New World. Recent DNA research leads us to believe that the alpaca is descended from the vicuña, which is the smallest of the family, undomesticated and a protected species.

Vicuñas are herded from the wild every two years for shearing. The resulting textile is some of the softest and most expensive in the world.

There are two types of alpaca distinguished only in the fleece. The huacaya, which has a fluffy coat, and the suri who's fleece looks like dreadlocks. Both types have the full colour range from white to black through fawns and browns with silver and rose greys

Vicuña .

Huacaya

Suris