Did you know?
Alpacas have no top, front teeth! Adult males develop large lower incisors and canines for fighting. Females do not generally develop these teeth.
Alpacas are small relatives of camels who were domesticated for their wool by Andean people. They belong to the camelid family, meaning they are cousins to the llamas of South America and camels of Asia and Africa.
Along with providing wool for farmers, Alpacas’ small size, ranging between 100-200 pounds, make them desirable companions. Alpacas are a great choice for farmers who focus on land management, as they have soft, padded feet that leave grasses and terrains undamaged as they graze. They are strict grazers, who would have fed on the native grasses that grew sparsely along the mountainsides and valleys of the Andes, requiring much less food than other herd animals. On the farm, alpacas typically eat fresh grass and hay.
Alpacas and llamas have been fully domesticated for centuries, even before the Incas, by the Andean people who bred the wild camels from South America for their wool and use as pack animals. Alpacas are believed to have been developed through selective breeding over 6,000 years ago. Alpacas and their cousin, the llama, were even used in North America for their meat, hides and wool before European colonization.
Alpacas make great pets as well, easily learning how to lead, sit and obey other simple commands. They boast excellent eyesight and hearing, and will alert their keepers of danger. They are often used in small herds of sheep or goats as guardians. They are herd animals and they need at least one other alpaca to be happy.
Alpacas have to be sheared once a year, typically in the spring to keep them cool through the summer and give their coat time to grow back before winter.
Alpacas rarely spit unless frightened or agitated. They sometimes spit at each other as a form of complaint.
Male alpacas reach sexual maturity at about 2 ½ years old. Females are typically first bred around 16 to 20 months old. Alpacas are also unique for being induced ovulators, meaning they do not have a heat cycle and can breed at any time.The typical gestation period for alpacas is 335 days or about 11.5 months. Alpacas babies are called Crias, and they come out considerably large for the small size of their mothers. Newborn alpacas normally weigh between 16 to 22 pounds, which is considerably large for the size of the mothers, weighing about 120 to 140 pounds. Crias are weaned around 6 months old. They grow fast, reaching 100 pounds by their first birthday.
