- Life Span: 15 – 25 years.
- Average Gestation is 335 days.
- Almost Always Single Births – twins are very rare and often are premature births.
- Highly interactive and entertaining.
- Highly intelligent and are trained on the halter.
- Fleece is shorn once a year.
- Colors: 22 basic colors that may blend into beautiful variations.
- Harvest approximately 2-10 pounds of fiber per year.
- Alpacas graze and eat grass hay ideally 10-12% protein
- Birth: Birth weight is usually around 10 to 19 lbs.
- The baby is called a cria and can often stand and nurse within 30 minutes to one hour.
- Alpaca do not have hooves but rather toe nails.
- Average Weight: 100 to 175 lbs. or about 1/3 the size of the llama.
- Average Adult Height: 32″- 37″ at the withers.
- Halter Breaking: Alpacas can be halter broke in about three to four training sessions.
- Alpacas dung in one or two areas in their pasture. This makes for easy clean up.
- Adaptable to many environments.
- Alpacas are hearty and considered “Easy Keepers” by most owners.
- The Alpaca Owners Association is the national breed association.
The Suri Alpaca
 The Huacaya Alpaca |
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Alpacas and Llamas are seen and
often roam together on the Altiplano
Suri Llama
Llamas in Traditional Array
Guanacos Sentry |
Vicuñas Vicuñas are endangered and currently protected. They are not exported out of South America at this time. |