Print of steel engraving titled „Alpaca Llama“.

Drawn by Sainson.

Engraved by unknown.

From „Voyage pittoresque dans les deux Ameriques. Resume general de tous les voyages“ by M. Alcide D‘Orbigny. Paris. 1836.

An alpaca (Vicugna pacos) is a domesticated species of South American camelid. It resembles a small llama in appearance.There are two breeds of alpaca; the Suri alpaca and the Huacaya alpaca.Alpacas are kept in herds that graze on the level heights of the Andes of southern Peru, northern Bolivia, Ecuador, and northern Chile at an altitude of 3,500 m (11,500 ft) to 5,000 m (16,000 ft) above sea level, throughout the year. Alpacas are considerably smaller than llamas, and unlike llamas, they were not bred to be beasts of burden, but were bred specifically for their fiber. Alpaca fiber is used for making knitted and woven items, similar to wool. These items include blankets, sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves, a wide variety of textiles and ponchos in South America, and sweaters, socks, coats and bedding in other parts of the world. The fiber comes in more than 52 natural colors as classified in Peru, 12 as classified in Australia and 16 as classified in the United States. Lama is a genus containing two South American camelids, the wild guanaco and the domesticated llama. This genus is closely allied to the wild vicuña and domesticated alpaca of the genus Vicugna. Before the Spanish conquest of the Americas, llamas and alpacas were the only domesticated ungulates of the continent. They were kept not only for their value as beasts of burden, but also for their flesh, hides, and wool.

Approx. image size 12, 2 x 9, 2/17, 2 x 13, 4 cm.Condition: good.

Condition: good.