Alpaca

     

Alpaca is a domesticated of South American camelid. It is similar to llamas because alpacas are closely related to llamas. Alpacas are also closely related to vicuña, which is believed to be the alpaca's wild ancestor, and to the guanaco. There are two kind of breed of it, such as the Suri alpaca and Huacaya alpaca. The alpacas are specifically bred for their fiber. Their fiber are usually used for knitted and woven items, such as sweaters, gloves, scarves, blankets, etc.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Artiodactyla

Family: Camelidae

Genus: Vicugna

Species: Vicugna Pacos

Life Cycle

Female alpacas usually matured and ready to bred when they're 18 months of age. Males are usually ready to bred between two and three years of age. Baby alpacas are known as a cria and the weaned crias are known as a weanlings or tuis. Alpacas produce one cria per year. Adult males are called machos and adult females are called hembras in Spanish. An alpacas average lifespan is 15-20 years.

Habits

Alpacas tend to be most active in the morning and at dusk. It is not uncommon to see play behavior in the late afternoon and early evening, especially with the youngsters. They will chase each other around the pastures at high speed, and will occasionally be found "pronking". The pronk, as it is known, is a springing gait. The legs can hardly be seen to move as the animals spring about the pasture, often chasing each other, and clearly expressing joy.

They have excellent eyesight and will often spot things at long distance that mere humans are unaware of. We have seen our herd get quite excited at cattle on a hillside a mile away, cats hiding in the tall grass, or at night possums, raccoons, or other animals that we have been totally unable to see or identify. They can spot a strange dog from a significant distance, and the herd will gather together and sound alarm calls.

Alpacas are extremely curious. Youngsters will often approach such novelties as birds in there pasture, obviously trying to figure out exactly what they are seeing. (This can be problematic with things such as poisonous snakes, and snake bites are not uncommon.)

They have a wide range of vocalizations, the most common being a gentle "hum". They have a distinct, loud and piercing alarm call. They can sometimes be heard clucking their tongues, usually towards their young.

Their herd instinct is strong, and they form clear bonds with their herd mates. When a herd suffers a death, there are often signs of mourning.  Likewise, when a former herd mate returns (like a female returning to the farm for breeding) the entire herd will excitedly run out to greet them. This herd bonding is striking, and unlike any other livestock that we have encountered.

While often billed as "huggable," we have found alpacas to be stand-offish. They generally do not like human touch, although they will tolerate it when it comes time for normal husbandry tasks.

Questions:
1. Where is alpaca originated from?
a. South America
b. North America
c. Mexico
d. Brazil

2. How many kind of breeds alpaca has?
a. 3
b. 2
c. 4
d. 5

3. How long is alpaca's life span?
a. 15-20 years
b. 10-20 years
c. 20-30 years
d. 15-25 years

4. When will alpaca most likely to be active?
a. Day
b. Night
c. Morning/Dusk
d. Dawn

5. What are baby alpacas called?
a. Cria
b. Cubs
c. Puppy
d. Kitten