• 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.