Genetics: Ancient Andeans hunted and herded lost lineages of camelids (Nature Communications)
17 December 2025
Ancient Andean societies relied on now-extinct lineages of camelids for resources such as food and transport, according to a genetic analysis published in Nature Communications this week. The findings provide new evidence as to how camelids were used in domesticated roles during this time.
South American camelids (a family of ruminant mammals which includes llamas and alpacas) were the only large herd animals domesticated in the Americas and were important sources of food, fibres, and transport for ancient Andean societies. Previous research has shown that camelids had been domesticated by 3000 BCE. However, as the wild and domesticated species have similar skeletons, it has been difficult to pinpoint the exact details of this process from physical evidence.
Michael Westbury and colleagues analysed ancient DNA from the remains of 75 camelids excavated from archaeological sites in the Tulán ravine, Chile, dated to between approximately 3,300 and 2,300 years ago. Further investigation of 26 of these individuals found that only one male llama was likely an ancestor of living domesticated llama, with the remaining belonging to extinct camelid lineages. Analysis of the relationships between modern and ancient camelid species indicates that the remaining ancient individuals may have belonged to two extinct populations, one most closely related to but distinct from Lama guanicoe, the other most closely related to but distinct from Vicugna vicugna, which are thought to be the ancestors of the llama and alpaca respectively. However, they note uncertainty in the wild ancestors due to interbreeding between modern domestic and wild camelids. They also identified similar proportions of males and females, suggesting that the individuals were either wild and hunted by humans or domesticated and herded, with males being selectively culled.
The findings indicate that camelids in the Tulán ravine were likely managed through a combination of hunting and herding. The authors suggest that more research is needed to identify the ancestors of living llamas and alpacas.
- Article
- Open access
- Published: 16 December 2025
O’Hare, C., Diaz-Maroto, P., Cartajena, I. et al. Palaeogenomics suggest domesticated camelid herding and wild camelid hunting in early pastoralist societies in the Atacama Desert. Nat Commun 16, 11007 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-66343-1
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