Alpaca Llama Questions

Alpaca/ Llama Round Questions General: 1. What is alpacas and llamas country of origin? South America 2. What are baby alpacas called? Cria 3. Approximately how much does a full grown alpaca weigh? Anywhere between 120-180 pounds 4. Approximately how much does a full grown llama weigh? Anywhere between 200-400 pounds. 5. How long do alpacas live? 18+ years. 6. What is the gestation period for an alpaca? Between 11 and 12 months. 7. Approximately how much does a newborn alpaca weigh? 1418 pounds. 8. How often does an animal get shorn? Once a year 9. What is their species called? Camelids 10.What are three different South American camelids? Vicuna, 2- alpaca, 3-llama and 4- guanaco. Breed/Care: 1. What are three differences between an alpaca and a llama? 1-Alpaca have fine single coat and llamas have a double coat. Llamas have a downy undercoat with course guard hairs in it. 2- Llamas can be used for various things, packing, driving a cart, livestock guardians, and for fiber. Alpaca are livestock bred for fiber purposes only. 3- Llamas are larger than alpacas. 4- Llamas have very different ear shape- they are banana shaped where as alpacas are more leaf shaped. 2. What are the two different types of alpaca and describe their fleece characteristics. 1-Suri (with silky pencil-like locks, resembling dreadlocks but without matted fibers) and 2-Huacaya (which produce a dense, soft, crimpy sheep-like fiber) 3. What color is alpaca wool? Ranges from white to black, shades of gray, beige, brown, red and roan. May be solid, spotted, or marked. 4. What unique feature do llamas and alpacas eyes have and why? Llamas have a unique feature in their eyes that protects their pupils Since llamas and alpacas originated from the high mountains of South America, they adapted to a climate with few trees and little shade by the use of the granula iridica, otherwise iridic granules. The iridic granule is a part of the eye that shades the pupil and decreases the amount of light that enters the eye and reaches the retina. The pupil is horizontally elliptical, which allows the pupil to close and decrease the amount of light that enters the llama/alpaca eye in sunny, bright conditions. The pupil changes automatically, like the photochromic lenses in someone's glasses. You can see the iridic granule by looking into the animals eye. 5. Describe the appearance of an angry llama/alpaca. Ears pulled back and head up. Sometimes the tail up. 6. Q: What do alpacas eat?- The alpaca is an herbivore, grazing on grass and munching weeds, shrubs and trees. They process their food through 3 stomachs where special secretions enable the animal to absorb 50% more nutrients than sheep. 7. What sounds do alpacas make? Humming is the most common sound an alpaca makes, a sort of musical purring. The mom calls to her cria by humming, or they hum to communicate with each other within the herd. When alarmed, a staccato tooting is made by one animal, then joined in by the rest of the herd as they focus attention in the direction of potential danger. During breeding, which lasts from 20 to 30 minutes, a male trumpets or 'orgles' a lovesong to his mate. 8. Are alpacas environmentally friendly? The alpaca's two-toed feet are soft pads protected on the top and sides by toe nails. Unlike hard hooves, they leave the terrain undamaged. And as they graze, they only nibble the top of the pasture grass rather than uprooting it. By rotating between two or three pastures, there is always a fresh supply of orchard grass. 9. What diseases do alpacas get? They are suited to harsh environment and are mostly very hardy but they can get intestinal and external parasites.