“You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy an alpaca and that’s pretty much the same thing.” (Anonymous)
Alpacas (vicugña pacos) are members of the
Camelid Family and are a domesticated species of the South American Camelid.
Camelids originated in North America over 40 million years ago. Camels migrated
east via the Bering Strait and llamas migrated to South America.
Today there are five recognized Camelids
breeds: camels, llamas, guanacos, alpacas, and vicunas. They vary by size and
purpose, some being used primarily as pack animals and others valued for their fleece.
All are used in a secondary meat market. Camels, llamas, and alpacas have been domesticated
for thousands of years whereas guanacos and vicunas continue to roam freely in
herds. Alpacas generally live around 15 to 20 years. The longest
documented lifespan of an alpaca is 28 years.
Many people are familiar with humped camels:
the dromedary of Northern Africa, the Middle East, and Southern Asia, and the
Bactrian camel of China and Tibet. Next in size is the llama (domesticated
guanaco), followed by the alpaca (domesticated vicuna).
The alpaca comes in two breed types: Huacaya and
Suri. Huacayas, the more common type, account for about 85-90% of all alpacas.
The two breed types vary primarily in terms of their fleece. People often
confuse alpacas with llamas. While closely related, llamas and alpacas are very
different animals.
Llamas are much larger, about twice the size
of an alpaca, with a weight range of 250 to 450 pounds. Alpacas weigh between
120 to 200 pounds. Llamas are primarily used for packing or for guarding herds
of sheep or alpacas, whereas alpacas are primarily raised for their soft and
luxurious fleece.
Alpacas mainly eat grass or hay. They consume
approximately two pounds per 125 pounds of body weight or approximately 1.5% of
the animal’s body weight daily in hay or fresh pasture. Grass hay is
recommended, and alfalfa can be fed sparingly. Many owners feed higher rates of
alfalfa to alpacas that are skinny, or live in very cold temperatures.
All members of the camel family use spitting
as a means of negative communication. They do get possessive around food, and
may express annoyance by spitting at other alpacas that they perceive are
encroaching on their food. Also, they often spit at one another during
squabbles within the herd (usually involving two or more males). From time to
time alpacas do spit at people on purpose, but it is more common that humans
get caught in the crossfire between alpacas.
“The Suri and Huacaya [alpaca] breeds possess a total of more than 22 different color varieties.” (Anonymous)[i]
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