History
Alpacas are native to the Andean Mountain Range of South America, and are primarily found in Peru, Bolivia and Chile.
They are members of the Camelid family, which also includes the Vicuna, Guanco, Llama, Camel And Dromedarian.
Alpacas have been domesticated for over 5,000 years, and they were used by the Incas to whom they provided clothing
and transportation.
They were first imported to the United States in 1984, and the current figure of registered alpacas in the U.S is now
about 6,000.
Physical Characteristics
There are two different types of alpacas, The Huacaya (pronounced wah-KI-ya) and the Suri (pronounced surrey). The Huacaya's
fiber is dense and crimpy (wavy) and makes the alpaca look woolly, like a teddy-bear, and the Suri's fiber is silky and resembles
pencil like locks.
An adult alpaca weighs between 150 - 200 lbs. and the average height is 36" at the withers. The tail is short and set
low. The feet are padded, like a dogs and has two toes. They do not have hooves, claws or incisors, and they only have lower
teeth.
Behavior
The alpaca is alert, intelligent, curious and predictable. They are very social animals, they are a herd-animals to such
a degree that an alpaca left by itself soon will develop an ulcer by being stressed. They seek companionship and tend to get
along well with each other.
They communicate mostly by softly humming, but mothers will "click" to their cria, and when they feel there is danger,
they will alert each other by screaming. Males have one more sound, called orgling which they do while breeding. Other ways
of communication are neck posturing, ear and tail positioning and head tilts.
They create a few spots where they will all go to the bathroom, so called communal dung-piles, which in turn makes
cleaning up a lot easier.
Maintenance and care
The alpaca is easy to care for! They eat grass and chew their cud, they are partial ruminants and have three stomachs.
They get free access to hay and water, and are fed 1/2 to 2 cups of grain daily. They also need minerals.
Alpacas are virtually disease free animals, but require annual vaccinations for rabies, tetanus and other locally
appropriate vaccines. Routine parasite control and occasional nail and /or teeth trimming is also necessary. You have to shear
your alpaca once a year, every spring before it gets too hot.
Reproduction
A baby alpaca is called a cria.
The female alpaca usually gives birth during the first half of the day, and usually without requiring assistance.
The gestation period is 11.5 months, and they have single births. Twin births do occur, but are extremely rare, and usually
do not go to term or survive. But it does happen in 1 of every 2000 births according to recent statistics.
