Alpacas are members of the camel family -
Camelidae. They come from the high Andes of South America
and may be the oldest domesticated livestock on the planet.
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Welcome to
Hugo's
Alpaca Facts
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Alpacas are ruminants with a three-compartment
stomach. They have a padded foot with two toes and teeth
only on the bottom jaw. They will spit on one another but
rarely spit on people.
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Alpaca average height is 36 inches at the
withers and they weigh between 100 and 175 pounds or about
one-half to one-third the size of their cousin the llama.
Alpacas live for 15 to 25 years and the females produce
offspring for most of their lives.
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I'm Hugo. I'm
three days old. If you want more information, click
on the headings for each topic.
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Alpacas are divided into two types - huacaya and
suri. The more commonly seen huacaya's fibre grows
perpendicular from the body and has a fluffy look. Suri
alpaca fibre grows parallel to the body and hangs in long
lustrous ringlets. Only about five per cent of alpacas are
suri.
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Alpaca fibre comes in 22 natural colours. It is
three times stronger than sheep's wool and five times
warmer. Alpacas produce one of the best fibres in the world
and are sheared once a year.
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Alpacas average gestation is 11 to 12 months.
The crias weigh from 15 to 19 pounds and can stand and nurse
within 30 minutes to an hour. Births occur almost
exclusively between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. and infant mortality
is very low.
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Alpacas are easy keepers. They need only a
three-sided shelter and thrive on low-protein hay or pasture
grass because they utilize food so efficiently They require
good fences to protect them from predators.
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