Since the Beginning . . .
Camelids ( the family of animals that include camels, llamas, alpacas, vicunas and guanacos) originated in North America 40 to 45 million years ago. Around the Pleistocene Era the ancestors of the camel began migration across the land bridge at the Bering Strait to Asia. At the same time the "New World Camelids" (alpacas, llamas, vicunas and guanaacos) began a journey south to Latin America. When these migrations were completed, all camelid life in North America died out.
Alpacas were first found in recorded history in the high Altiplano region of South America - Peru, Bolivia and Chile, over 6,000 years ago.
Since ancient times, the South American Andes Mountains have been the ancestral home to the prized alpaca. Their fleece was cherished by members of the Incan civilization (referred to as "The Fiber of the Gods"), and their graceful herds of alpaca roamed the lush foothills and mountainous pastures. The Incas cultivated the alpaca maintaining systematic breeding programs which included separting animals for color characteristics. Evidence also exists that alpacas were worshiped. Legends indicate that these animals were thought to be a gift from Pachmana, the Earth Mother, who would allow them to stay as long as humans cared for them properly.
In the seventeenth century, Spanish conquistadors killed a large part of both the Incan and Alpaca populations, forcing the retreating survivors to seek refuge in the high mountain plains known as the Altiplano. The high altitude and harsh landscape ensured only the hardiest of these creatures survived, and these ancestors of today's best bloodlines have provided a gene pool producing hardy, agile animals with dense, high quality fiber. For sometime alpaca fiber remained a secret, but in the mid1800's the industrialized English textile industry "discovered" the beauty of alpaca fleece.
In 1984, a small group of importers brought the first of a carefully selected herd of highest quality alpacas into the United States and Canada, and they immediately became a beloved part of the North American landscape.
About the Alpacas
Peru, Bolivia, and Chile are still home to the largest percentage of alpacas in the world, and alpaca breeders in the United States have learned much from their southern neighbors. Alpacas are a member of the camelid family, which also includes dromedary and Bactrian camels, llamas, vicunas, and guanacos. They are a modified ruminant and chew their cud similar to a cow, although they have 3 stomachs rather than the true ruminant, which has 4. Alpacas selectively graze, eating pasture grasses and hay, a fact that makes feeding alpacas relatively inexpensive. A daily mineral supplement rounds out their diet.
There are 2 different alpacas types, the suri and the huacaya. The suri has fiber that grows quite long and forms silky, pencil-like locks. The huacaya has a shorter, dense, crimpy fleece, giving it a very woolly appearance. Alpacas have soft padded feet, making them gentle on their pastures, and they have no top teeth in the front. The average height of an alpaca is 36" at the withers, and they weigh from 100 to 175 lbs. Alpacas are small and gentle enough to travel short distances in the family minivan and are easily handled by most people. Alpacas have a life span of 15 to 20 years, so you can enjoy your alpaca for a long time. Not only do they have a long reproductive life, they will provide fleece for a lifetime, making your investment long-lived.
An alpaca's gestation period is 11 to 12 months, and they have single births (twins are extremely rare). A baby alpaca, called a cria, usually weighs between 15 and 20 pounds. Alpaca fiber comes in 22 colors that are recognized by the textile industry and there are many blends in addition to that. Alpacas are shorn for their wonderful fleece each year, which will produce 5 to 10 lbs. of soft, warm fiber that is turned into the most luxurious garments in the world. When it comes to raising alpacas, there is something for everyone.
