Alpaca

al-pak'a, an Andean animal of the camel kind. The alpaca is smaller than the llama. It has been domesticated by the Peruvians. It is not used as a beast of burden. Large flocks are raised for the sake of the soft, silky, straight hair which grows to the length of two to eight inches, and is woven into fabrics of great beauty, giving its name to alpaca cloth. The body of the alpaca has somewhat the form of a sheep, but it has a long neck. It is also more active, and carries its head erect. Alpacas are no longer found wild. At shearing time they are driven into stone inclosures. Some of these shearing folds are believed to antedate the invasion of Pizarro. Since 1836 alpaca wool has been a regular article of export to Europe. Fleeces vary in color from white to black. Attempts to rear the alpaca outside of its mountain home in Peru have not proved successful. See Llama