Alpacas

Physical Characteristics

• Two kinds of alpacas: huacaya (pronounced wah-Ki-ya) and suri (pronounced surrey).
• Huacaya fiber is short, dense, crimpy and gives a woolly appearance. Suri fiber is silky and resembles pencil-like locks.
• Have soft-padded feet with two toes, three stomaches and do not have horns, hooves or claws, insisors or upper teeth.
• Eat grass and chew cud.
• Adult generally weigh bewteen 150 and 200 pounds.

History

• Members of the Camelid family (Vicuna, Guanco, Llama and Alpacea), they are native to the Andean Mountain range of South America. Primarily found in Peru, Boliva and Chile.
• Provided clothing and transportation for the Incas for more than 5,000 years.
• Domesticated for more than 5,000 years.
• First imported in the United States in 1984, with about 100,000 registered alpacas in North America.

Reproduction

• Average lifespan is about 20 years.
• Gestation is 11.5 months.
• Female alpacas are called crias.
• Have single births. Twins are extremely rare. Most recent figures note 1 in 2,000 is a twin.

Behavior

• Alert, intelligent, curious, predictable and social animals that seek companionship.
• Communicate by softly humming.
• Also communicate with neck posturing, ear and tail positioning and head tilt.
• Depost their odorless bean-life pellets in concentrated areas.

End Products

• Main end-product is fiber, and in ancient times, it was known as the "fiber of gods."
• Soft as cashmere and lighter and warmer than wool.
• Comes in 22 natural colors.