The Alpaca is a domesticated species of the South America camelid and resembles a small Llama in superficial appearance.
Alpacas are kept in herds, as they become stressed if kept alone, that graze and are valued for their fiber. They are gentle on the land because of their padded feet and do not churn up the ground.
The Alpaca fiber is used for making knitted and woven items such as gloves, scarves, sweaters, socks and bedding.
There are 22 fleece colours ranging from white to fawn to browns to black, there are also grey and rose grey.
They need shearing once a year and on average the fleece will weigh between 2 and 5 kg.
Alpacas are gentle and easy to handle and can be harness trained very early when young. They have a life span of about 20 years.
The females are first bred at about 18 months and have a gestation period of about 11 months.They usually give birth late morning to the cria (baby alpaca) which weighs about 6 to 8 kg. The cria is weaned at 5 to 6 months of age.
The male Alpaca becomes fertile between 18 months and 3 years.