Blackwattle Pottery

What is an alpaca?

The alpaca is an animal related to the llama. Alpacas are the domesticated form of the guanaco, a South American wild animal that roams the mountain slopes of the Andes in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile.

The Suri alpaca looks like a long-haired, shaggy llama, with thick, soft fleece that covers its eyes and often drags on the ground beneath its body whereas the Huacaya has a more curly fleece which doesnt cover its eyes and is very close to the body.

Alpacas are gentle animals that are agreeable with people, hearty to raise, and easy to transport. They live about 20 years, stand between 1 meter and 2 metres in height, and weigh between 45-100 kg. Much like cows or sheep, they graze on grasses and chew a cud. Alpaca reproduction is fairly trouble-free and gestation is between 11 and 12 months.