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endearing , gentle and soft , alpacas are respect as pets and cattle around the world . There are no wild alpacas . Alpacas are domesticated versions of vicuñas , South American ruminant that live luxuriously in the Andes . Alpacas are have-to doe with to llama , which are domesticated adaptation of another raving mad Andean ruminant , the Lama guanicoe . While llama are used as pack brute , alpaca are raised mainly for their soft wool .
Guanacos and vicuñas are found throughout the Andes Mountains . They aredescended from camelidsthat develop in North America and migrated to South America 3 million year ago , accord to Phil Switzer , an alpaca breeder base in Colorado . These animals evolved into guanacos and vicuñas , and about 6,000 years ago , people in the Andes began to naturalize them . There are two stock of alpaca , theHuacaya and the Suri . Huacaya alpacas are more common , according to Switzer .
Alpacas come in 22 colors, from black to tan to white.
The main difference between the breeds is the distance and fineness of the wool - like fiber , according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ( FAO ) . The Suri have very long fiber ( " silky dreadlocks , " agree toAlpaca Ventures ) , while the Huacaya have a more compendious " crimpy " sheepskin , with shorter fibers .
Size
guanaco are slightly magnanimous than alpaca and much larger than vicuñas , but they are smaller and less intemperately built than llamas , according to the University of Michigan’sAnimal Diversity Web(ADW ) . Alpacas are the small-scale member of the camel family . The average tiptop at the shoulder is 3 feet ( 91.4 centimeters ) , consort to Switzer . They are 4 to 7 animal foot ( 120 to 225 cm ) long and weigh 121 to 143 pound . ( 55 to 65 kilo ) .
By comparing , the llama stand almost 4 foot ( 1.2 m ) at the shoulder and weighs from 286 to 341 lb . ( 130 to 155 kg).Camelsgrow to 6.5 substructure ( 2 megabyte ) and count from 880 to 1,325 pound . ( 400 to 600 kg ) , harmonise to theSan Diego Zoo .
Habitat
baseless guanacos and vicuñas live in a wide range of habitats , from the high and dry Atacama Desert in northern Chile to the wet and tempestuous Tierra del Fuego at the southern hint of the continent , harmonise to the ADW . Alpacas are also native to the Andes , at elevation of up to 15,750 feet ( 4,800 meter ) .
Alpacas , however , are very adaptable and have been export all over the earth , including the United States , New Zealand , Australia and the Netherlands , so their " habitat " is often farmland . Still , 99 percent of the humankind universe of alpacas is found in South America , according to the ADW .
Habits
Alpacas are very societal creatures . They are blue and rummy and with training can become great pets , according to Switzer . ruck often let in animals of different mintage or taxonomic families , such asllamas , goats and sheep , according to the FAO .
Alpacas ptyalise when they are dysphoric or feel threatened . They will sometimes pitter-patter at each other when they are competing for intellectual nourishment or trying to instal authorisation , fit in to Switzer . They wo n’t spit at people or bite unless they have been clapperclaw .
Alpacas buzz ; they make a speech sound like " mmm , " according to Alpaca Ventures . However , they also shriek when peril is present , and make a audio alike to a " wark " noise when excited . fight male scream , making a warbling bird - like yell .
Alpacas graze on a farm in Thailand. Originally from South America, alpacas are now raised on farms all over the world.
Alpacas in a herd all use the same area as a can instead of defecating in random areas like many animal do . This behavior helps controller parasites , according to the FAO . Males often have cleaner dung piles than females , agree to Alpaca Ventures . female tend to abide in a line and all go at once .
Diet
As herbivores , alpacas only eat vegetation . They eat mostly skunk , but their diets can also include leaves woodwind instrument , barque or stems . Like other ruminants , alpacas have a three - chambered stomach that digests the fiber efficiently .
Unlike other grazers , alpaca do n’t deplete much . According to theAlpaca Owners Association , a 125 - lb . ( 57 kg ) animal only eats around 2 lbs . ( 907 grams ) per day . In general , alpacas wipe out 1.5 per centum of their body weight each day .
Offspring
Alpacas breed once a twelvemonth , and as livestock they are often cause to breed at any prison term . The distaff alpaca has a gestation period of 242 to 345 days and gives giving birth to just one offspring . The birthing appendage can take up to seven hours , according toNational Geographic .
The babe alpaca , called a cria , weighs 18 to 20 lbs . ( 8 to 9 kilo ) when it is born . The cria is wean at 6 to 8 month , and female person are ready to reproduce at 12 to 15 months . male take a moment longer to mature and are ready to pair at 30 to 36 month . Alpacas live up to 20 years .
Classification/taxonomy
According to theIntegrated Taxonomic Information System(ITIS ) , the taxonomy of the alpaca is :
realm : AnimaliaSubkingdom : BilateriaInfrakingdom : DeuterostomiaPhylum : ChordataSubphylum : VertebrataInfraphylum : GnathostomataSuperclass : TetrapodaClass : MammaliaSubclass : TheriaInfraclass : EutheriaOrder : ArtiodactylaFamily : CamelidaeGenus : VicugnaSpecies : Vicugna pacos
For many class , zoologists assume alpacas and llamas had descended from guanacos , and they were classified in the genusLama . However , in a 2001 paper titled " genic depth psychology reveals the baseless antecedent of the llama and the Lama pacos " in the journal Proceeding of the Royal Society B , researchers showed there is " high genetic law of similarity " between the alpaca and the vicuña , and between the llama and the Lama guanicoe . They recommended that the Lama pacos be reclassified asVicugna pacos .
Baby alpacas are called crias.
Conservation status
TheInternational Union for Conservation of Naturedoes not have entries for alpacas on its Red List of Threatened Species . Guanacos ( Lama guanicoe ) , however , are list as Least Concern for extinguishing due to their all-embracing range , heavy populations and occurrence in protected areas . Similarly , the IUCN lists vicuñas ( Vicugna vicugna ) as Least fear .
Other facts
Llamas and alpacas can crossbreed . The offspring are called huarizo .
Alpaca fur is a very prized fiber for artisans and crafter . Alpaca pelt is very sonant and does not keep pee . It is also very durable . accord to National Geographic , alpaca fur is the second strongest fauna fibre , after mohair .
Alpacas amount in 22 colors , from a lawful , blasphemous - Negro through Brown and tans to white , according to Alpaca Ventures .
Some Andean people deplete alpaca meat . In Peru , it is often serve up in upscale restaurants .
Alpacas do n’t have teeth in the top - front of their mouths . This return them the appearance of receive an underbite .
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