Alpaca is a pet, which, by the way, appeared relatively recently in Russia. Let’s talk about these creatures in more detail.
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- Alpacais a South American camelid pet. Alpacas live in the Andes at an altitude of 3500-5000 meters, in Ecuador, southern Peru, northern Chile and western Bolivia. These creatures were domesticated about 6000 years ago by the Indians of Peru. First of all, alpaca is prized for its wool, from which blankets, clothing and much more are made.
- Until 2001, alpaca was mistakenly attributedto the genus of llamas. But more recent research has shown that the ancestors of alpacas were vicuñas. By the way, llamas and alpacas, when crossed, give offspring called wariso, and vicuñas and alpacas – a hybrid called paco-vicuña.
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- Alpaca – animals are not very large: their height does not exceed one meter, they weigh about 70 kg. The color range of alpaca wool is very diverse: there are two dozen shades – from boiling white to brown and even black.
- Alpaca is a very shy and very intelligent animalthat does not like to be aggressive. In this sense, alpacas are very different from llamas, who are not averse to spitting at the offender or kicking him. Alpaca gets along well with humans.
- There are two subspecies of alpaca – Suri and Huacaya. The first has very long wool and therefore more valuable, and the subspecies itself is considered rare. The second has a much shorter coat, so alpacas look like plush toys.
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- Up to two years, alpacas peacefully graze and feed on vegetation, then they begin to cut them: once a year, removing 3-4 kg of wool. They try to shoot in moderation, because the alpaca can simply freeze. The wool that the animal gives up to 10 years is the softest, silky and expensive. The wool of animals over 10 years old (alpaca lives about 25 years in total) is coarser and thicker, it is used for the production of carpets and rugs. By the way, sometimes llamas are used as shepherdswho keep an eye on alpacas.
