An alpaca is from South America. They were/are mainly used for fur. They are about 150 pounds. They are from the Camelid family. They are more docile/nicer than llamas. They spit, and gestation is about 12 months.

ALPACA HABITAT

Who could believe that the natural alpaca habitat is a harsh, unforgiving land? Alpacas come from the Altiplano region of the Andes Mountain in South America. Altiplano means high plain. Alpacas live at the 12,000 to 14,000 ft level.

It is a very hard life for humans and animals alike. Vegetation is scarce, the air is thin, and the temperature can change by as much as forty degrees in one day. The vegetation that exists is mostly tough clumps of grass, Thola bushes, and occasionally clumps of Quenua trees. There are volcanos that have left volcanic flows. It rains, snows, has freezing temperatures, intense sunlight, and powerful winds. Pumas prey on altiplano livestock.

Surviving in this harsh alpaca habitat meant an animal had to be hardy. After seven years of owning alpaca we have discovered how hardy these animals can be. They are stoic and they hardly ever get ill.

Knowing the alpacas background of its original environment helps us to understand the alpaca and give better care for this wonderful animal.

The alpacas padded feet are environmentally friendly. This adaptation was probably needed so they didn't destroy the scarce vegetable matter. Same is probably true for why they don't pull the grass out by its roots.

If alpacas didn't have their dense fleece, they probably would not have survived the harsh winters on the altiplano. Alpacas can go days without water and food.

Since there were times when food wasn't available, alpacas adapted to going without for awhile. With food scarcity, an alpacas fleece will grow less. An alpaca will borrow nutrients from other parts of its body to continue life. Keeping alpacas at their optimal weight means your fleece will be denser and grow better.

Alpacas actually need less feed than most other animals. It only takes 1.5 to 2% of an alpacas body weight of feed to sustain a healthy alpaca. The alpacas three-compartment stomach converts grass and hay to energy with extreme efficiency so they eat less. The harsh conditions they live in on the altiplano makes this survival adaptation a necessity.

Alpacas don't drink a lot of water. This is another adaptation of the unforgiving altiplano. Clean water should always be available for your alpacas, though.

Alpacas go without food and water in their natural alpaca habitat, but doing so stresses an alpaca. When alpacas fear for their survival they will abort babies. Keep your alpacas free of stress by making sure that each alpaca is able to feed freely and have plenty of water and you will have less cria losses.

An alpaca is really a very fast animal. Probably developed to survive escape of the Puma. Not giving an alpaca enough room to exercise keeps them from doing what comes natural to an alpaca and could be another source of stress. Keep them in large enough pastures where they can run.

Knowing the natural alpaca habitat can help you understand your alpaca and provide for their needs. A lot is still not known about alpacas, but the industry has made huge steps in learning about caring for alpacas.
an alpaca is a smaller version of a llama. Llamas are used for packing and you can ride them while alpacas do not have the strength to do either of those things. They are mainly used for the fur or as we call it fleece or fiber.

~EDIT~

An alpaca is an animal from the Camelid group. They are closely related to the llama, which they seem like a smaller version of, but they are also close relatives of camels. Alpacas are mainly bred for money from selling both animals and their valuable fleece. Alpacas come in two different breeds, the suri and the huacaya, the suri having longer, stringier fleece and the huacaya having more puffy fleece. (Edit found by 11 year old Megan Varney)
An alpaca is a member of ther camelid family, a cousin to the llama.

alpaca's are breed for their fibre,which is used to make knitted item's just like sheeps wool.

Horse - Equine. Intact male horse is called a stallion, castrated male horse is called a gelding, and a female horse is called a mare. A foal is a baby horse; colt is a male horse under 3 years old, filly is a female horse under 3 years old.

Sheep - Ovine. Intact male sheep is called a ram, castrated male sheep is called a wether, and a female sheep is called a ewe. A lamb is a baby sheep.

Cattle - Bovine. Intact male cattle is called a bull, castrated male cattle is called a steer, and a female cattle is called a cow. A calf is a baby cattle; heifer is a female that has not yet calved (given birth).

Goat - Caprine. Intact male goat is called a buck, castrated male goat is called a wether, and a female goat is called a doe. A kid is a baby goat.

Pig - Swine. Intact male pig is called a boar, castrated male pig is called a barrow, and a female pig is called a sow. A piglet is a baby pig; gilt is a female pig that has not yet farrowed (given birth), and a shoat is a pig weighing 40-120 lbs.

(1) Yes. The meat of all mammals can be eaten if properly prepared. (2) Yes. An alpaca is a mammal, and it can be eaten if prepared properly. It used to be considered a delicacy in South America until recently.

(3) Any meat can be eaten, but since the alpaca gene pool is getting increasingly smaller, you will not see any alpaca meat on the legal market. (4) Alpaca meat can indeed be eaten. The alpaca has an increasingly small gene pool, so it is not likely you shall ever eat it. Alpacas are prized for their wool, and are not considered a meat animal. Alpaca meat can be eaten

They can be found in a number of different South American countries, like Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru and Chile, mainly in the Andes Mountains.

Alpacas live in Bolivia and Peru. But mostly in the mountains or raised areas.

High in the mountains (12,000-16,000 feet about sea level). There is very little vegetation, thin air, and extreme temperatures (hot and cold)

Alpacas and llamas are well-adapted to living high in the Andes mountains in South America. They live in the temperate forests up to the scoured rock passages towards the top of the mountain. Because of this, alpacas and llamas are very sensitive to heat and do not thrive during times of heat and humidity.

The camelid family of animals, which includes alpacas, originated in North America in the Eocene epoch, about 45 million years ago. They migrated north and west across the Bering straight into Asia and south into South America. They became extinct in North America about the time man came around. Only in South America did the camelids develop into alpacas, guanacos, llamas and vicunas. In the 1980's, alpacas began being imported again to North America for their fine fiber and are now a farm animal raised in many places in the world, but especially the USA, Canada, Europe and Australia. They still run wild in South America, primarily Peru, Bolivia and Chile, in the Andes mountains. They can no longer be imported from South America into the United States.