Alpacas aren’t really part of the llama family, but they do resemble them so much that is where they have been placed. They don’t get as large as llamas do so many breeders find them to be cut and fun to raise. They won’t eat as much or need as much room to roam around. Due to the small size of the alpacas, they aren’t used to carry materials around like many breeds of llamas are. Instead they are primary used for the delicate fibers that they offer.

It is very common for people to use alpaca fibers to make handmade items including shawls, sweaters, and even blankets. Manufacturers use alpaca fibers to make these items and they also use them to make socks, hats, and scarves. Due to the amount of fibers in demand from these animals, they are moving more into a domesticated situation than being allowed to wonder in herds wild.

In some areas of the world including Peru, people kill the alpacas that are in the wild to eat their meat. They also use their fibers to make various items that they need. It is customary in this culture to only kill the alpaca that you need in order to survive. The rest of them are respected and allowed to continue living. It is also customary to try to kill an older alpaca that won’t be reproducing anymore so that they younger ones can continue to thrive and populate.

Alpacas are very social animals so they need to be in a pack. Some people want to have one as a pet but they will find the animal soon stops eating. It can even die from being along as they are not designed for such an environment. Even two alpacas in a location can cause them to self deteriorate as this is not their natural element to survive in.

Just like llamas, alpacas have been known to spit at each other and even at their owners. It really depends on the behavior and temperament of the alpaca as to their spitting habits. They don’t do it for hierarchy as the llamas do though as it is more of a defense mechanism. If you attempt to take food from alpacas it is very likely that you will get spit on.