- Alpacas come in a whole range of colours, 22 basic colours and then 250 different shades.
- A Male Alpaca is called a Macho.
- A Female Alpaca is called a Hembra.
- A Baby Alpaca is called a Cria.
- An Alpaca that turns one year old is called a Tui.
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They live for up to 25 years.
- They can breed from 1 year of age and then on until around 20 years old.
- Alpacas have soft feet with Pads under their Toe Nails.
- Alpacas do not spit unless they are really provoked and then it is rare.
- Alpacas have only bottom Teeth like a sheep, and they never bite.
- You can run Alpacas on as little as 2 acres of land.
- Alpacas belong to the Camelid Family.
- Camelids have evolved over 37 million years.
- Alpacas have been domesticated for some 7,000 years now.
- Alpacas are the easiest animal in the world to herd (round up)
- There are only 3.5 million Alpacas world wide and 2.7 million reside in South America.
- Alpacas were treasured by the ancient Incas in South America for their fine fleece.
- Large numbers of Alpacas still exist in South America, despite a decline after the conquest of the Incas.
- South America can no longer increase it's population of Alpacas. The future of these animals is in New Zealand and Australia due to the grazing available.
- Alpacas are usually shorn annually but can be shorn every 2nd year to obtain a longer fleece.
- Shearing involves conventional sheep-shearing equipment but the animal is restrained. The annual yield per animal is around 3 kg with top animals reaching 8 kg.
- The first fleece or Cria fleece commands a premium because of it's extra fineness.
- Other than Shearing and the usual de-worming and vaccinations Alpacas require little else.
- Toenails and teeth may occasionally need trimming. Alpacas do not suffer with fly-strike or foot-rot.
- Female Alpacas are pregnant for 335 to 365 Days and only produce one Cria at a time. Birthing is relatively easy and trouble free and 99% of the time is in daylight hours.
- Alpacas are induced ovulators and can be bred throughout the year.
- Breeding success can range as high as 100% in New Zealand, while in South America it is around 40% due to harsher conditions and less careful animal husbandry.
