All About Alpacas:

Alpacas are members of the camelid family. Camelids originated on the central and southern plains of North America. 3 million years ago, the ancestral camelids migrated to South America and to Africa via the ice bridge across the now Bering Strait. By the end of the last ice age, camelids became extinct in North America. The ancestral camelid developed into the present day wild Vicuña and wild Guanaco of the Andean highlands, Peru, Bolivia, Chile (and the Vicuñas in Argentina) of South America.

Classification of camelids and other Artiodactylids:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates)

Family: Antilocapridae (pronghorn antelope)
Family: Bovidae (antelopes, cattle, gazelles, goats, sheep, and relatives)
Family: Cervidae (deer)
Family: Giraffidae (giraffes and okapis)
Family: Hippopotamidae (hippopotamuses)
Family: Moschidae (musk deer)
Family: Suidae (hogs and pigs)
Family: Tayassuidae (peccaries)
Family: Tragulidae (chevrotains and mouse deer)
Family: Camelidae (camels, llamas, and relatives)

Genus Camelus (camels)
Old World Genus and Species

Species Camelus bactrianus (Bactrian camel) (2 hump)
Species Camelus dromedarius (Dromedary) (1 hump)

Genus Lama (alpacas, guanacos, and llamas)
New World Camelids genus and species

Species Lama glama (llama) (la-ma) (Spanish pronunciation : Ya-ma)
Species Lama guanicoe (guanaco)(waa-naak-oh)
Species Lama pacos (alpaca) (al-pack-a)

Genus Vicugna (vicugna; vicuña)(vi-kun-ya)

Species Vicugna mensalis (Peruvian)
Species Vicugna vicugna (Argentina)

For reference, the South American Camelids (SAC) are generally refered to as (one 'L') Lamas

About 6-7,000 years ago the natives of Chile, Peru and Bolivia began the domestication of the Vicuña into the present day Alpaca as a fiber producing animal. There are two different types of alpacas; Huacaya and Suri. Huacaya alpacas grow their fleece perpendicular from their body. Suri on the other hand has a fleece that hangs off the alpaca in long twisted fiber locks. (Animals with Dreadlocks)
They developed in the alpaca 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".

Alpaca come in over 23 natural colors.

Shearing: Search YouTube for videos of alpaca shearings. If you just enter 'alpaca' in YouTube, you'll get an education!

Today (early 202_s) there are about 200,000-250,000 alpacas in the U.S. and Canada. All of these alpacas have been registered and blood typed with through the Registry. The blood typing is done through DNA to insure the purity of the breed.

Physical Facts: Life span: About 22 years; average height: 3 feet at the shoulder and 4.5 feet at the head. Average weight: Adult, 150-185 lbs. Cria (Cree-ah), 13-20 lbs at birth. Average gestation: 345 days.

Birth: A baby (Cria) is normally delivered without human assistance during morning daylight hours. Twinning is extremely rare. The crias are normally up and nursing within 60 minutes. They are weaned at 5-6 months. And can generally out run the average human about 60-90 minutes after birth. Although this practice is not welcomed until the cria's tendons have strenghtened. Major leg excerize right after birth may cause crooked legs, which is not a welcomed sight in the show ring or your pasture.

Reproduction: Females are first bred at 18 months of age (our requirement is the maidens must be 18 mo of age and weight 100 lbs to be bred). Males become mature at an average of 3 years. Alpaca females are induced ovulators and can be bred at any time of the year. Actually their average estrus cycle 11 1/2 days or about 5.25 days for each uterus horn. During that 5 days the female will ovulate and keep the egg viable for about 3 days ready for the male to fertilize.

Color: Fiber colors range from a true black to brilliant white with roans, pintos, browns, reds, fawns, rose grays, charcoal grays, and combination of these to produce pintos, multi-color and a wide variety of colored patterns.

Fiber Production: The average production is about 4-15 lbs. per year per adult alpaca and sells (in a clean state) for about $3 to $6 per ounce. Shearing is done every year.

Health: Alpacas are very hardy, healthy, and easy to care for. You have to give CD&T shots, worming and other maintenance procedures (which depends on your area, ask your local camelid Vet and/or other local alpaca owners). Camelids do not over-eat when extra hay is given to them. Generally you can leave them with a extra bales of hay to sustain them over a few days.
They can colic due eating free choice corn products, various supplemental pellets, etc.

Frequently Asked Questions: Also search what you're looking for on YouTube.com. You'll find it there!

What are they used for? They are used for fiber producers, breeding stock, therapy and investments for additional income and as a retirement.
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 or trailer.
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. There are quite a few alpaca fiber co-ops in the nation. You can have a mini-mill produce the yarn, roving, batts, etc. for you to sell or make garments and then sell those products to farm and ranch visitors, local fiber stores and your country store.
Where can you buy Alpaca products? Go to Everything Alpaca in Castle Rock, CO. Or to locate alpaca farms and ranches near you, go to Google or just click here.
What and how much do they eat? Alpacas are ruminants with three compartment stomachs. They chew their cud like cattle and sheep. They are very efficient and only eat 2-3 bales of grass hay per month, or about 2% of their body weight/day. They require mineral supplements as well.
Where can they be raised? In almost any climate. In very hot climates, yearly shearing is required along with misting or sprinklers and shade. In very cold climates, closed barns are recommended. In mild climates, a 3-sided shelter opened away from the prevailing winter winds is all that is required. Fiber production on the alpaca (and many fiber producing animals) is best in a colder climate. After decades of alpaca fiber gathering for co-ops it has been well documented that a colder winter areas will produce a higher number of fiber/pound.
What is their personality like? Alpacas are very gentle and curious. They are social animals and can be pleasantly dependent on humans. With a little training they become great pets. Alpacas will occasionally spit at each other when they are competing for food or trying to establish their pecking order. Alpacas will not spit at people unless they have been provoked. (This is true of all Camelids in a well-cared-for environment.)
What sounds do they make? Alpacas communicate with a series of ear and tail positions and body postures as well as a humming sound and a shrill alarm call when threatened by predators. Get your kicks on YouTube.com.
How much do they cost? Fiber males begin at $250 (USD) with stud quality males beginning at $4,000 and many selling for more. Weanling females can begin at $4,000 and bred females at $2000 - $10,000 and up. Alpaca males have been sold at auction to $650,000 (prior to 2008 :-).
How can they be transported? They can be transported in a small station wagon (Small SUV's has been used) for short trips of an hour or so. They require larger vehicles such as a mini-van, full size van, small trailer, horse trailer, or large truck depending on how many and how far you are transporting them.
Other alpaca products: Although their fiber is the main product, In South America (and a few places in North America) there is a meat market. Their poop is valuable as a fertlizer. They deficate in specific piles, rather than (willy-nilly) everywhere. The poop is in the form of pellets, often called beans, slightly larger than those you are used to seeing. It is often gathered in feed sacks and sold (or given) to the backyard gardener. There is a filtered tea that has been bottled for hosehold plants. The poop product has vertually no odor even when fresh.
Do they spit? Well, yes they do. Spitting is their defense toward other camelids and pregnant females use it to prevent males from mounting them. Their sense of direction where the spit flies is not nessarily in the same direction of the stable mate conflict. They will spit at you if you do something to cause it. Exceptions might be on unsocialized animals, like in many zoos. Avoid near contact with Camelids in zoos. If you visit the average alpaca ranch, you won't get spit at. When feeding grain, etc. to a group, they may direct their spit to the other animals, and you may get caught in the middle. They are not spitting at you. Nice juicy green spit comes from their stomach. If you happen to get nailed wearing anything white or light color, the garment color will change to a lovely 'premanent' green.

There are other things that are on interest:

1) Alpacas, Llamas, Vicuñas, Guanacos, Bactrian and Dromedary Camels do not have a common Estrous Cycle, like many mammals on the planet. Their estrous cycle is generally about 5 1/4 days between each ovulation on each of the two uterine horns. Go here to see how that works

Where can I get more information?

Visit ranches and farms near you and ask questions, ask lots of questions. You'll get a lot of answers, sometimes they won't all be the same. Nobody is giving you bad information, it's just everybody has a little different way of raising alpacas. There is little competition amongst alpaca owners, because we all all have a sightly different product. Differences are age, color, temperaments, personality (of both owners and alpacas), cost, services after the sale.

Use the following links:

www.alpacainfo.com (Alpaca Owners Association - National and International Alpaca organization)

To help you explore alpacas, there are thousands and thousands of alpaca owners... local breeders, AOA Affilliates and everybodys website.
In the central-western US visit Alpaca Breeders of the Rockies.

And use Google Map to find local alpaca ranches and farms near you!