Alpacas are part of the Camelidae family, which includes llamas, guanacos and vicunas from South America, and Bactrian and Dromedary camels from Asia and Africa. Alpacas were domesticated more than 6,000 years ago due to the quality of their fleece.

Alpacas make noisy inhalations that sound like a high-pitched bray when they spot intruders. The herd may attack smaller predators with their front feet, and can spit and kick.

Alpacas use a communal dung pile where they do not graze. Generally, males have much tidier, and fewer dung piles than females, which tend to stand in a line and all go at once. This is also a huge help of course for our zoo keepers!