Traditionally, alpacas were kept in herds that grazed on the level heights of the Andes of Southern Peru, Western Bolivia, Ecuador, and Northern Chile.

More recently, alpacas may be found on farms and ranches worldwide, with thousands of animals born and raised annually.

Alpacas are visually and genetically similar to, and often confused with a relative species, the llamas; however, alpacas are visibly shorter and predominantly bred for their wool, while llamas have long been more highly prized as livestock guardians (in place of dogs), and as a pack animal (beast-of-burden), owing to their nimble mountain-climbing abilities.

Both the alpaca and the llama are believed to have been domesticated and selectively bred from their wild counterparts — the smaller, fine-haired vicuña and the larger, stronger guanaco, respectively — at least 5,000 to 6,000 years ago.

The family Camelid first appeared in the Americas 40–45 million years ago, during the Eocene period, from the common ancestor, Protylopus.

The descendants divided into Camelini and Lamini tribes, taking different migratory patterns to Asia and South America, respectively.

Their domesticated counterparts, the llama and alpaca, have been found mummified in the Moquegua valley, in the South of Peru, dating back 900 to 1000 years.

[9] They are thought to have been more prevalent in pre-Columbian Peru since they could be kept at a lower altitude where a thicker fleece was not needed for harsh weather conditions.

[10][better source needed] Alpacas are social herd animals that live in family groups, consisting of a territorial alpha male, females, and their young ones.

One example of their body communication includes a pose named broadside, where their ears are pulled back and they stand sideways.

[17] Alpacas and llamas have started showing up in U.S. nursing homes and hospitals as trained, certified therapy animals.

"Spit" is somewhat euphemistic; occasionally, the projectile contains only air and a little saliva, although alpacas commonly bring up acidic stomach contents (generally a green, grassy mix) and project it onto their chosen targets.

[20] Some signs of stress that can lead to their spitting habits include humming, a wrinkle under their eye, drooling, rapid breathing, and stomping their feet.

When alpacas show any sign of interest or alertness, they tend to sniff their surroundings, watch closely, or stand quietly in place and stare.

Generally, males have much tidier and fewer dung piles than females, which tend to stand in a line and all go simultaneously.

[31] To accomplish this they develop a seroassay which correctly identifies positive subjects which are false negative for a common skin test.

Animals such as flamingos, condors, spectacled bears, mountain lions, coyotes, llamas, and sheep live near alpacas when they are in their natural habitat.

Most alpaca ranchers rotate their feeding grounds so the grass can regrow, and fecal parasites may die before reusing the area.

The end of the third chamber (called C3) is where the stomach secretes acids to digest food and is the likely place where an alpaca will have ulcers if stressed.

Unlike sheep and goats, which are commonly used to clear overgrown patches of land—as they willingly consume many noxious, poisonous botanical species—, many more common plant families are highly poisonous to alpacas, including the Amaryllidaceae (Amaryllis) family, the dogbane-milkweed family Apocynaceae (Asclepias, Hoya, Nerium, Plumeria, etc), the aroid family Araceae (Anthurium, Colocasia, Monstera, Philodendron, Zantedeschia, etc), the Asparagaceae (Agave, Asparagus, Dracaena, and more), Asteraceae (daisies and Senecio, etc), Caryophyllaceae (Dianthus), some Ericaceae (azaleas, heather, etc), Euphorbiaceae (castor bean, Croton, poinsettia, etc), Fagaceae (beech and oak; acorns), ferns (especially Pteridium), African rue, Iridaceae (Crocus, Freesia, Gladiolus, Iris, etc), Melanthiaceae (corn-lilies), Polygonaceae (buckwheat, knotweed), ragweed, Ranunculaceae (buttercups), as well as orange tree and other Citrus foliage, among others.

The price for American alpacas ranged from US$50 for a castrated male (gelding) to US$675,000 for the highest in the world, depending on breeding history, sex, and color.

[42][43] In 2006, researchers warned that the higher prices sought for alpaca breeding stock were largely speculative and not supported by market fundamentals, given the low inherent returns per head from the main end product, alpaca fiber, and prices into the $100s per head rather than $10,000s would be required for a commercially viable fiber production herd.

Alpacas need to eat 1–2% of their body weight per day, so about two 27 kg (60 lb) bales of grass hay per month per animal.

Indigenous to the highest regions of the Andes, this harsh environment has created an extremely hardy animal, so only minimal housing and predator fencing are needed.

Similar to ruminants, such as cattle and sheep, alpacas have only lower teeth at the front of their mouths; therefore, they do not pull the grass up by the roots.

Alpacas are fiber-producing animals; they do not need to be slaughtered to reap their product, and their fiber is a renewable resource that grows yearly.

Conopas take their appearance from the Suri alpacas, with long locks flanking their sides and bangs covering the eyes, and a depression on the back.

This depression is used in ritual practices, usually filled with coca leaves and fat from alpacas and lamas, to bring fertility and luck.

While their use was prevalent before colonization, the attempts to convert the Andean people to Catholicism led to the acquisition of more than 3,400 conopas in Lima alone.

These alpacas who did not make it back are said to be seen today in the swampy lands in the Andes waiting for the end of the world, so they may return to their goddess.