Day 3

Social Structure

• Alpacas are social herd animals that live in family groups.

• Roles: Female alpacas are most concerned with eating, sunbathing, and mothering. Males are highly territorial and sexual.

• The herds are led by an alpha male whose job is to watch over the herd and influence the others.

• The herds consist of a territorial alpha male, females, and their young ones.

• They communicate with each other through sounds, but they also signal warnings and threats through their body language. Spitting is also commonly used to show signs of distress, fear, or to display dominance.

Reproduction

• Alpacas breed once a year 

• They are polygonous so one male can with multiple females

• They can breed at any time of the year

• The males use humming to court the females.The breeding behavior of alpacas is systematic and quiet. 

• Can have a single baby at a time

• Unique characteristics include the throaty “orgling” sound by the male during mating, believed to help ovulation

Development

• A baby, or cria, will stay with its mother until 5 or 6 months. They start grazing as soon as they are weaned. 

• Males reach productive maturity by age of 3, females by age of 1.

• Alpacas are pretty relaxed, tranquil animals that don't busy themselves with too much activity. They spend most of their time ruminating. 

• The main distinguishing factor of male and female alpacas is their head shape. While the males have a thicker and broader head, females have a more delicate and narrow head structure.