Basic Facts About Alpacas

Alpacas are members of the camel (camelid) family.  Camelids  originated on the central plains of North America.  3 million years ago, the ancestral camelids migrated to South America.  By the end of  the last ice age, camelids became extinct in North America.

The  ancestral camelid developed into the present day wild vicuna and wild  guanaco of the Andean highlands (Peru, Bolivia, and Chile) of South  America.  About 5,000 to 6,000 years ago the natives began the  domestication of the vicuna into the present day alpaca as a fiber  producing animal.  They developed in the aplaca the following characteristics:

• Very fine, soft, dense fiber.
• Medullated, or hollow fiber, with very warm insulative properties.  
• Fiber that is almost free of guard hair and is "no-itch fiber."
• A small, very gentle, submissive animal for ease of shearing.  
• Over 20 natural colors that would not have to be dyed/.
•Today (2009) there are over 100,000 alpacas in the U.S.
•Almost all of these alpacas have been registered and DNA typed with the Alpaca Registry, Inc.  The DNA typing helps to insure the purity of the breed.

Physical Facts:
•Life span: About 18-20 years; average height: 3 feet at the  shoulder and 4.5 feet at the head.
•Average weight: Adult, 150-185 lbs.  Baby, 16-20 lbs at birth.
•Average gestation: 11 months.

Birth:
A baby is normally delivered without human assistance during morning daylight hours.  Twinning is extremely rare.  The babies (called crias) are normally up and nursing within 90 minutes.  They are weaned at 6 months.

Reproduction:
Females are first bred at 14-18 months of age.  Alpacas are induced ovulators and can be bred at any time of the year.

Color:
Fiber colors range from a true non fading black to brilliant white with roans, pintos, browns, reds, fawns, rose grays, charcoal grays, and others.

Fiber Production:
The average production is about 4 lbs. per year per adult alpaca and sells (in a clean state) for about $6 to $10 per ounce.  Shearing is recommended every year depending on climate.

Health:
Alpacas are very hardy, healthy, and easy to care for.  In most cases you will only have your Vet out twice a year for shots and other
maintenance procedures (depends on your area, ask your Vet).

Frequently Asked Questions:
What are they used for?
They are used for breeding stock, fiber producers, pets, light pack animals, therapy, and investments.

Are they intelligent?
Alpacas are intelligent and easy to train.  In just 4-5 repetitions they will pick up and retain many skills such as accepting a halter, being led, and loading in and out of a vehicle.

Who do you sell their fiber to?
Handspinners, yarn shops, and weavers are the major market for clean alpaca fiber.  They love all the various colors of alpaca.

Excerpts from the excellent article written by Phil Switzer.  More interesting articles like this can be found at http://www.alpacas.com.

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