Alpaca Facts 101
Alpacas are members of the the camelids species , which in the Americas include Llamas, Vicunas, and Guanacos as well as their distant relations in desert regions, the Dromedary (one humped) and Bactrian (two humped) camels. The alpaca is smaller than it’s cousin the llama, weighing about 170 pounds full grown. While the alpaca may seem delicate in appearance, they are actually a rugged, self-sufficient animal, adaptable to all sorts of conditions. The alpa
ca comes from the Andes mountains of South America, home to some of the harshest extremes of any climate on earth.
A wonderful gift of nature, alpacas have a sweet and easy-going disposition, come in wide spectrum of colors with a fine luxurious fiber. Many people are drawn to the gentle elegance of alpacas and their adorable crias. Alpaca fiber, harvested by clipping the animal, was prized by the Incas, producing a warm, lightweight fabric. One of the world's finest and most luxurious natural fibers, Alpaca fiber is stronger, warmer, lighter than wool and is comparable to cashmere in softness. Alpaca fiber comes in approximately 16 base colors and has almost infinite variations between individual animals. Alpaca fiber is still prized today in the textile community commercially and is used by hand spinners and weavers interested in organic products because the multitude of natural colors allows them the luxury of not needing chemical dyes.
Female Alpacas reach sexual maturity at about 2 years of age and have a single cria per year after a 11 ½ month gestation. Alpaca birth is usually unassisted and the cria quickly gets to its feet and nurses. A cria is capable of keeping up with its mother on the move within hours of birth.
