Alpaca and llama, the differences:
The alpaca is an animal belonging to the camelid family. It measures between 90 and 100 cm on average. It is entirely covered in wool and is characterised by its straight, spear-shaped ears and rather rounded back. It also has a long neck and two toes with two pads and two nails. It looks more like a long-necked sheep, or of course a llama. In fact, it is often confused with the latter, even though it is much smaller. Its distant cousins include the camel, the dromedary and the guanaco. Alpacas weigh around 80 kg and measure between 75 cm and 1 m at the withers. They come in 22 natural colours. Alpacas generally live for around 20 years.
HISTORY
We are all familiar with the camelids of Asia and Africa: the camel (two humps) and the dromedary (one hump). Generally, we also know of one from South America: the llama, which spits at Captain Haddock. In fact, there are three others on this continent: the guanaco, the vicuña and the alpaca.
Two live in the wild: the guanaco (Lama guanicoe) and the vicuña (Vicugna vicugna).
The guanaco's head is dark grey, its back is reddish brown, while its belly, neck and legs are white.
It is large and can measure 1 to 1.20 metres at the withers and weigh 80 to 140 kg.
The vicuña's entire body is beige, while its belly, neck and legs are white.
It is small, measuring 0.70 to 0.90 metres at the withers and weighing 35 to 55 kg.
It stands out as the smallest and most slender of the four South American camelids.
Two have been domesticated for nearly 6,000 years: the llama (Lama glama) and the alpaca (Vicugna pacos)
The llama's coat comes in a wide variety of colours, ranging from white to black, beige to dark brown, and is rarely uniform, often being dotted with spots.
It is the largest of the four Andean camelids and can reach a height of 1 to 1.25 metres at the withers, weighing between 110 and 170 kg. It is the largest and most robust of the four Andean camelids, making it an excellent beast of burden.
Like the llama, the alpaca's coat comes in a wide variety of colours, ranging from white to black and beige to dark brown, but is generally more uniform.
It is small in size, measuring 0.75 to 0.95 metres at the withers and weighing 55 to 90 kg. It is bred for its wool.
Physical description of the alpaca:
- Back: rather rounded
- Weight: up to 60–80 kg
- Appearance: large sheep with a long neck
- Forehead: very woolly with a sort of tuft
- Ears: pointed, spear-shaped
- Head: short
- Teeth: continuously growing. Feeds by ‘cutting’ vegetation, does not pull up roots
- Height: 75 cm for the smallest and 1 m for the largest
- Colour: officially 22 natural colours
- Fibre diameter: between 12 and 32 microns
- Toes: 2 toes with 2 pads and 2 nails (they end in a point)
- Mouth: forked and split (facilitating grass harvesting)
- Huacaya: medium-length, curly/wavy coat
- Suri: long, flowing coat
- Average lifespan: 20 years
- Call: the alpaca bleats, a call similar to that of the llama and the fox.
- Reproduction: from 3 years of age
- Gestation: 1 gestation per year, lasting 11.5 months
First shearing at 12 months and one shearing per year.
Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina are now home to several million alpacas. This animal is accustomed to mountain life and arid conditions. It lives at altitudes of up to 4,880 metres.
Some people breed alpacas mainly for their wool and meat. It is important to note that in Peru, alpacas are the main source of livelihood for many families.
Related to the vicuña and domesticated by humans for over 5,000 years, this animal produces a fibre seven times warmer than sheep's wool, nicknamed the fibre of the gods or the gold of the Andes, which was initially reserved for the Inca nobility.
Alpacas are very intelligent and gentle, and are also bred as pets.
There are two types of alpacas: the Huacaya alpaca and the Suri alpaca. They differ mainly in their fleece.
The Huacayo alpaca, which accounts for 85% of the population, is characterised by a fleece that, from the outside, resembles that of a sheep. In a way, it is a sheep with long legs and a long neck, the ‘sheep of the Andes’!
The Suri alpaca, which accounts for 15% of the population, is characterised by a fleece that forms ‘dreadlocks’ or strands all over its body.
FOOD
First of all, it is important to know that alpacas are ‘eco-friendly’ animals in that their breeding produces very few greenhouse gases.
Alpacas, like llamas, have a three-chambered stomach and are ruminants. The needs of alpacas vary according to their size, weight and physiological stage. There are five main stages: growth, maintenance, working, and, for females only, gestation and lactation.
What is maintenance? This is the stage when alpacas are adults but are not engaged in any activity. During this stage, they do not need to be overfed as their needs are not very high.
During the growth stage, alpacas' nutritional requirements are twice as high as during the maintenance stage in order for them to develop properly.
If alpacas have to carry loads and walk for long periods of time, the energy requirements of hiking alpacas, for example, can be up to three times higher than during the maintenance stage.
A female at the beginning of her gestation period does not necessarily have very high nutritional requirements. These increase at the end of gestation and are even higher during lactation. It is therefore important to feed alpacas according to their stage of life and thus their energy requirements.
On average, alpacas consume between 1.5 and 2 kg of food per day.
But what do they actually eat?
Their staple foods are hay and grass, usually green or dry vegetation. Alpacas also eat grain or pellets, preferably those with a moderate protein content.
In addition, they prefer more humid areas or meadows for feeding. It is important to note that alpacas are environmentally friendly animals. Unlike goats, they do not pull up grass, but cut it with their four teeth without uprooting it, allowing the grass to grow back. Alpacas only cut what they need. Since they do not have hooves, their pastures are also less damaged.
It is important to provide alpacas with clean water every day so that they do not become dehydrated.
ALPACA OR ALPACA?
The word ‘alpaca’ comes from the indigenous Quechua language spoken in various provinces of Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and northern Chile.
The word alpaca is spelled with either a C or a G depending on the language. In German and Dutch, it is ALPAKA!
For those who are curious as to why the word alpaca is spelled with a C on alpaca clothing labels, it is important to note that this is an English translation of alpaca.
This substance requires the hair to be treated with chemicals before it can be spun into yarn. This is not the case with alpaca. No allergens or chemicals are used. The fact that alpaca does not contain lanolin also means that it does not cause skin irritation. Our duvets are therefore very popular with people who suffer from allergies.
In addition to respecting workers and the environment, respect for animals is very important to BellePaga. Unlike other farms, such as goose farms, no animals suffer in the production of our duvets. Alpacas are sheared once a year (in spring) and then go out into the fields to enjoy the summer.
So don't wait any longer to visit our website and choose THE duvet that's right for you and will give you unrivalled warmth.
BEHAVIOUR
Alpacas are gentle, highly sociable herd animals that get along well with other animals, although they prefer the company of their own kind. They are gregarious animals that need to live in groups with a hierarchical structure. The male protects the group from outside threats, while the female dominates within the family.
He is very wary of other males, whom he sees as potential rivals. It is therefore best to separate the females from the males to avoid any conflicts.
Alpacas make very quiet sounds, similar to those of llamas and foxes, and they grind their teeth. Alpacas spit, but they only do so when they want to establish a hierarchy within the herd and when they are angry. They never spit at humans without reason. This could happen if and only if they are teased, so don't panic!
Alpacas live in herds and are watched over by humans. In fact, alpaca farmers are called Alpagueros. These little creatures have nothing to fear, even though they do have predators such as coyotes, pumas and ocelots.
REPRODUCTION
Alpacas reproduce throughout the year. Ovulation is induced by mating. The gestation period lasts between 242 and 345 days. Females can therefore only bear one young per year. To complicate matters further, llamas and alpacas interbreed, producing a hybrid known as a huarizo. These animals are of little interest as they lack the strength to carry loads and their wool is inferior to that of alpacas.
ALPACA WOOL
Alpaca fibre is ‘eco-friendly’ as it requires no chemical treatment, bleaching or dyeing.
Alpacas experience extreme temperature fluctuations throughout the day, which explains why their fleece is composed of fibres with exceptional thermoregulatory properties.
Today, there are different types of wool. These include alpaca fibre, baby alpaca fibre and royal alpaca fibre. The fibres are sorted to retain only the softest ones. It should be noted that ‘baby alpaca’ wool remains the softest.
Alpaca fibre is generally considered worldwide to be a luxury wool due to its unique properties such as softness, strength, hypoallergenic fibres, high thermal effect and lightness. The fibre is elastic and robust, but also straighter and silkier than sheep's wool.
Alpacas are sheared once a year in spring. This is mainly for the wool, but also to relieve them from the stress of the heat. Shearing an alpaca produces up to three kilograms of wool and takes about 30 minutes. The first shearing will produce between 1.5 and 2 kg of ‘Baby Alpaca’ fibre, while subsequent shearing will produce up to 3 kg of ‘Alpaca’ fibre. Alpaca fibre is classified according to its diameter: Alpaca, Baby Alpaca and Royal Alpaca. The diameter of Alpaca fibre is 23.1–26.5 microns, that of Baby Alpaca is approximately 14–23 microns, while Royal Alpaca is selected from the best and finest Baby Alpaca fibres, with a diameter that can be as low as 12 microns. By way of comparison, the diameter of a human hair is around 60 microns.
The alpacas that produce this fibre roam freely, raised in their natural habitat where they can graze in peace. The fur items we offer come from animals that have died of natural causes.
Alpaca wool is evaluated according to various criteria, starting with fineness, shine and density, and ending with an assessment of the hair, length and uniformity of the wool. Wool that is dense and uniform in length, hair and colour is highly prized. Wool with a shiny appearance is also sought after.
To obtain superior quality wool, fibres with a low micronage, i.e. very fine wool, must be selected.
CAMELID COMPETITION
Since 1997, small camelid competitions have been regularly organised in certain European countries such as France, Belgium and Italy. These events provide an opportunity for breeders of these small animals to meet.
Alpacas take part in several events and are judged not only on their appearance and movement, but also on their ability to avoid obstacles. There is also a progeny competition, where the ability to pass on positive traits is assessed by comparing offspring. The animals' manageability and the rapport between the handler and the animal are also evaluated. The competitions are different for young animals and for more mature animals.
ALPACA VS LAMA
As mentioned at the beginning, many people see an alpaca and shout ‘LAMA!’ Let's take a look at the main differences between the two.
First of all, llamas are much larger and heavier than alpacas, measuring around 150 cm compared to a maximum of 100 cm for alpacas.
Llamas have longer snouts than alpacas, less hair on their foreheads, longer necks, and more rounded ears.
Llamas are often used to transport loads over long distances, unlike alpacas, which are mainly bred for their wool, which is renowned throughout the world. They are also much stronger and know how to take care of themselves.
The personality of llamas is also what sets them apart; they are very confident and courageous. They are also said to be arrogant. As for alpacas, they are shy animals, very gentle and much more intelligent and curious than llamas.
