Fast Facts about Alpacas

Alpaca vs Llama - Aside from being much taller and heavier than alpacas (a solid foot, if not more and about twice the weight!), llamas can also be recognised by their banana-shaped ears as opposed to alpacas’ spear-shaped ones. Alpacas have been bred for fibre while llamas were needed as pack animals and have a much coarser fleece.

Origin -  Alpacas (and llamas) originate in South America where they graze at an altitude of 3 - 4000 metres on the Andes Mountains Altiplano, which runs through Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina.

Breeds  - There are two types or breeds of alpaca: the Huacaya, whose fibre has a crimp or wavy quality that enhances its use in spinning and the rarer Suri, which has a lustrous, fine fibre with a silkier feel. The world population of alpacas is split into approximately 90% Huacaya alpacas and 10% Suri alpacas.

Size -  Alpacas are small, gentle animals. They stand about 80-100 cm tall at the withers and usually weigh between 50 and 90 kilograms.

Life span -  Alpacas generally live from about 15 to 20-odd years.

Maturity - Females can often theoretically be bred at about 13 months but we never breed ours before they are 2 years old to give them time to grow. Males usually achieve full maturity at around two to three years of age, at which time they can be used for breeding.

Gestation  -  The average length of gestation is 345 days or roughly 11½ months but anywhere from 330 to 370 days is considered perfectly normal. A single (twins are extremely rare) baby, called cria, is born usually in the morning and often with no human assistance. Crias usually weigh between 6 and 10 kilograms at birth and can stand and nurse within two hours - and often as fast as half an hour after birth! They are usually weaned at five to six months old.

Physical Characteristics -  Alpacas have no upper front teeth. They have lower teeth and an upper dental pad. They have soft padded feet with two toenails on each foot. Alpacas are modified ruminants which means that they chew their cud, have three compartments (instead of four!) in their stomachs and eat grass and other vegetation. Alpacas come in twenty two recognized colours that can range from brilliant white to the deepest black with all shades of greys to browns, fawns, and variations in between. Their fibre, commonly known as "The Fibre of the Gods", is very fine, soft, dense, warm and insulating. Alpacas are bred to be mainly free of guard hair, which makes it a "non-itchy" material. This fibre spun into yarn is especially resilient and strong. Garments made from it are comparable to cashmere, but much more durable and easy to care for. Fibre from alpacas contains no lanolin so it is not greasy and considered hypoallergenic and therefore great for those who have reactions to normal wool.

Alpaca Care - Aside from feeding a daily supplement to hay and grass, alpaca manure needs to be cleaned up every few days from their designated toilet areas. Alpacas are also given vitamins throughout the darker months, are regularly vaccinated, body-scored (basically a hands-on weighing method), checked and, if necessary, treated for worm and coccidia burdens, have their toenails cut about quarterly and are sheared annually.

Disposition -  Alpacas are amongst the most gentle of animals and are curious and friendly. They normally don’t have tendencies but can kick if surprised and scared behind them where they can’t see. Alpacas do occasionally spit at each other in order to maintain their space or when competing for food but they rarely spit at people. Alpacas communicate through humming and by ear and tail positions, respectively posture. They can sound a shrill alarm call when threatened by predators - or the neighbour’s cat! Alpacas are herd animals and their social structure requires them to live in the company of other alpacas. An alpaca will be lonely, and may even die, if taken away to live by itself. A minimum of three alpacas is highly recommended to ensure alpaca happiness.

For more about alpacas, feel free to head over to the British Alpaca Society!