Alpaca Information

General Alpaca Information:

Full grown alpacas will weigh approx. 120 to 180 lbs.
They produce about 5 to 10 lbs. of fleece (wool) per year
There are 2 types of alpacas, suri and huacaya. The more common huacaya has fluffy fiber with crimp similar to Merino wool. The less common suri alpaca has straight silky fiber that resembles dreadlocks.
Alpacas come in 22 natural colors.
Alpacas are herd animals and do not live well by themselves.
They communicate mainly through body posturing and a gentle humming sound.
Alpacas are from the Camelid family and fairly rare in the US.
The gestation period is approx. 11 months and twins are extremely rare.
Alpacas and llamas use a communal dung site so clean up is easier.
Camelids are stimulated ovulators so they can be bred at any time of the year.
They have a split toe foot and soft padded feet.
Alpacas are grazers and they chew their cud. They have a split upper lip which prevents them from damaging the vegetation's roots.
They live approx. 15 to 20 years.
They are a modified ruminant with a three compartment stomach.