Facts about alpacas

Small camelids are often confused with ruminants such as cows or goats, but they form a separate group: the Tylopoda. Unlike true ruminants, they do not have four stomachs, but one stomach with three compartments. Their digestion also works differently.

Their feet are just as special: they do not have hooves, but walk on two toes with soft pads and nails. Thanks to this structure, they hardly damage the soil — ideal for fragile ecosystems.

They belong to the Tylopoda

The name of this family refers to the unique structure of their feet. Instead of hooves, they walk on two toes that are parallel to the ground, with soft foot pads and small nails at the end. Thanks to this special foot structure, they cause hardly any damage to the soil, which makes them particularly friendly to their environment.

The Huacaya alpaca

This is the most common and well-known alpaca species in the world, with more than 90% of all alpacas belonging to this type. What makes it so recognizable is its coat: it grows upright from the body, similar to sheep's wool.

The quality of the wool depends on various factors: the denser, finer, more even and wavy (crimped) the fibers are, the better. A good ‘blanket’ — the coat that covers the entire body, from the tip of the nose to the toes — is therefore particularly popular with wool experts.
👉 Read more about the family

The Suri alpaca

This one has a noticeably different coat than the Huacaya: the fibers hang in long, shiny locks that fall down the body.

The finer, shinier and more even these locks are, the higher the quality of the wool. The fiber of the Suri has very closed scales, which ensures exceptional shine, a silky appearance and high abrasion resistance. At the same time, this makes the wool more difficult to spin. In contrast to Huacaya wool, there is hardly any shrinkage with Suri wool.

Suri’s are often only sheared once every two years, so that the locks can reach a length of 20 to 30 cm — ideal for processing into luxury textiles.
👉 Read more about the species

The rise of alpacas

That started in the 1980s in North America. Countries within the Commonwealth, such as Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, soon followed.

In Europe, they initially appeared in zoos as exotic animals, but from the end of the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s they were increasingly kept as hobby or pets.

In the past ten years, alpaca breeding in France has experienced strong growth. The objectives of breeders have become increasingly diverse — from producing high-quality wool to nature-oriented recreation and educational activities.

Production of wool.

Alpaca wool is very famous, and the production of quality wool is the main reason for the existence of European farms. However, the lack of a sector of fixed wool and harmonization in valorisation currently makes the viability of a farm focused solely on wool unrealistic: the sale of alpacas remains the primary goal, too many breeders still "get rid" of their fleeces "away" at ridiculous prices or destroy them.
As a result, the genetic quality of the animals and their fibers is still not taken too seriously.
👉 Read more about our wool

Animal mediation:

Animal therapy in hospitals and nursing homes is on the rise, and rightly so. Well-selected and well-trained, they perform wonders with the public through their restraint, their presence and their calmness, not to mention the contact of our hands with their coat.

Grazing:

Llamas and alpacas make good use of poor pastures, and with their cushions they cause little damage to the soil, even clay soils. However, the alpaca is presented in a trot as a brush cutter: it will maintain your land well, but will not rid it of brambles, nettles, thistles or other fallow shoots. The llama will do better for this.

Waking:

Although predators, some alpacas and llamas will have the instinct to defend their group against a predator. This instinct is real and effective against foxes, which is why they are used to protect herds of sheep or poultry against master goupil. But make no illusions: when faced with stray dogs or wolves, llamas and alpacas are easy prey.
👉 Alpaca sounds

Body temperature:

The normal body temperature of an adult alpaca is between:

• 37.5 °C and 39.5 °C

On average it is approximately 38.5 °C.

• The temperature may vary slightly depending on the time of day, activity, or the weather (e.g. on warm days the temperature may be slightly higher).

• At temperatures above 39.5 °C there may be fever, infection or heat stress.

• At temperatures below 37 °C there is a risk of hypothermia, especially in weak animals or crias.

If you want to measure temperature regularly, use a digital rectal thermometer and note any deviations.

Social animals:

Alpacas are real herd animals. An alpaca alone feels unhappy — they need peers.

Spitting:

They (usually) spit at each other
Spitting mainly occurs during arguments or when they defend their place in the pecking order — rarely at people, unless you are té pushy.
👉 Alpaca sounds

Character:

Gentle character, but clear boundaries
They are curious and friendly, but don't like cuddling like dogs or cats. Approaching quietly works best.
👉 Meet our alpacas

Defecation:

Pooping in fixed places
Alpacas use a kind of “toilet place” in the meadow. This makes cleaning easier and keeps the rest of the site clean.

Pregnancy:

Pregnancy lasts almost a year.
A pregnant mare carries her cria for an average of 11 to 12 months. Usually only one young is born.

Sound:

Soft sound: "humming"
Alpacas communicate with soft "humming" sounds — a kind of buzzing with which they keep in touch with each other.
A stallion alpaca will play the organ to charm a mare when they mate.
In case of danger, the alpacas will "call" sharply to alert the herd.
👉 Alpaca sounds