Present and Potential Role of South American Camelids in the High Andes

Abstract

Camels are commonly identified with the Old World but they are also to be found in South America. There four species – alpacas, llamas, vicuñas, and guanacos – have adapted themselves to the severe climate of the high Andes. They play an important role in the economies of Peru and Bolivia, and to a lesser extent in those of Chile, Argentina, and Ecuador.