The wonderful properties of alpaca wool fabric. Our curls: How Moscow alpacas live What they eat and how alpaca behave

Six thousand years ago, people tamed the wild llama and gave it the name alpaca. Looking at a photo of an alpaca, it is impossible to imagine that this cute face can be a wild animal.

Science says that alpacas are descended from. Both of these animals are distant relatives. The first mention of alpacas appeared a thousand years before the construction of the Egyptian pyramids in the city of Giza. Just imagine how ancient this animal is!

What does an alpaca look like

In height, this animal grows no more than 104 centimeters. The weight of the alpaca is also not large - from 55 to 65 kilograms.

The main advantage of this domesticated llama is its wool. If you look at the photo of the animal, it is not difficult to guess why people appreciate it. Alpaca resembles a curly sheep, so cute, with funny curls all over her body. Alpaca wool can be of different shades: from light, almost white, to brown.

Where does the offspring of the vicuña live?

South America is considered the territory of residence of this mammal. Alpaca got along well in the forests and mountainous areas of Argentina, Peru, Bolivia and Chile. But the territory of the South American continent is only the original area, currently alpaca is bred all over the world.

What does an alpaca eat and how does it behave?

These animals lead a herd life. All active life takes place during daylight hours. With the onset of night, the animals lie down to rest. And they have reason for this: in the evening, alpacas need to chew all the food eaten during the day, because these animals are ruminants.

Listen to the voice of the alpaca

As already mentioned, alpacas feel comfortable in the mountains. Thick fur protects them from the cold, thanks to which the animals are not afraid of temperature fluctuations.

Alpaca is a herbivore.

Alpacas feed exclusively on plant foods. They eat bushes, weeds, grass, tree branches and their leaves.

How does alpacas reproduce?

The social organization of these mammals is such that some kind of harems are formed during the mating season. The male leader, who has designated himself the leader, can mate with all the females from his "harem". There are frequent cases of fights and fierce fights for leadership in such a marriage community. This process can be observed quite often, because the mating season for alpacas lasts all year round.

The alpaca is a descendant of the vicuña.

A fertilized female South American domestic llama bears a cub for about 11 months. After the allotted time, one baby is born, who is able to stand up in just an hour.

When born, an alpaca cub weighs one kilogram, but after nine months, the babies reach a mass of already 30 kilograms. Such rapid growth occurs, among other things, due to prolonged breastfeeding.

When an alpaca baby is born, its coat is a delicate cream color. But sometimes, with age, the color of the coat becomes darker.

The female alpaca brings offspring only once every two years. In nature, these cute curly llamas live up to 25 years. When alpacas are kept for agricultural purposes, their life usually ends at the age of seven.

Alpaca fabric: a description of the material with a photo, the composition of the material - we will talk about everything in our article. Many people think that sheep or camel wool is considered the warmest, but in fact this is not entirely true. The fur of alpaca animals, which are bred in South America, has the greatest heat-conducting properties.

Description of alpaca fabric

Alpaca - a fabric, photo, the composition and properties of which are described below, is obtained from thin and light animal wool, which has unique heat-conducting properties.

Woolen fibers - fleece - have a sinuous structure, and their thickness is comparable to cashmere fluff and is only 25 microns.

Depending on the breed of animals (Suri and Huakaya), the fur of which has a different structure, the following types of fabrics are distinguished:

• royal (fiber diameter 19 microns);
• baby (fiber diameter 22.5 microns);
• very soft (25.5 microns);
• adult (32 microns).

Production

To obtain valuable raw materials, animals are sheared once a year. After that, it is sorted by hair length. Then I make yarn from the best raw materials, and after that the finished fabrics are knitted. The most valuable fabric is baby suri alpaca, which is made from the fur of young animals of the suri breed. It is soft, thin and smooth, because it does not have characteristic curls. The entire process of making yarn is done by hand, starting with the sorting of fibers and ending with spinning.

Characteristics of alpaca fabric

Alpaca wool has the following properties:

• • softness and lightness;
  • thermoregulation (manifested at high and low temperatures);
  • light, silky shine;
  • strength and durability;
  • hypoallergenicity;
  • impermeability;
  • dirt repellent property.

Application

Things and products made from alpaca wool are very warm, so they are widely used in the manufacture of winter and demi-season outerwear. From the woolen raw material of adults, a coat, plaid, alpaca wool poncho is sewn. In addition, warm children's clothing is made from unique yarn, which is absolutely hypoallergenic. Read about all the materials for coats, shirts and skirts in the "" section.

Advantages and disadvantages

Alpaca wool fabric has the following advantages:

• preservation of all properties of sheep's wool with less weight;
• very warm fabric - the woolen raw material of young alpacas is 7 times warmer than sheep;
• animal fur does not contain fat, which means that products made from it are less susceptible to pollution;
• the absence of any allergic reactions in adults and children;
• variety of natural colors (22 natural shades).

The material produced has only one drawback - a high price. To do this, cheaper raw materials (acrylic, viscose, polyamide) are mixed with wool fibers. This allows you to preserve the unique qualities of the fabric and reduce the cost of products from it.

Read about and you will learn all about its application.
care for woolen fabric read in our special section.

The video will tell you about the yarn from the wool of this wonderful animal:

Animal alpaca appeared long before the Egyptian pyramids. It is surprising that living only high in the mountains of South America, the animal has survived there in natural conditions to this day, without changing its original territory.

In modern times, the resettlement of alpaca in different parts of the world is a tempting and expensive enterprise, which is explained by the unique demand for this amazing creation of nature.

Description and features of alpaca

Today, the alpaca is a domesticated animal from the camelid family. It looks small, up to 1 m tall, a mammal with a good-natured appearance, similar to a small llama or a lamb with curls all over its body. By weight, adults reach 70 kg.

Alpacas are classified as rare animals, among which there are only two groups:

1. Alpaca Huacaya- the most common variety, it is compared with a children's teddy bear for its soft and fine wool.

2. Alpaca Suri- rare view. The wool is of the highest quality and most valuable, looking like long and twisted curls.

Alpacas are a group of callus-footed animals and walk on the phalanges of their fingers. They cannot trample the pasture like sheep or goats, because they have no hooves, but only a callused outgrowth as a foot. Their bipedal limbs have curved and blunt claws.

The main feature of animals is a very dense and long coat, for which they are so valued. Thanks to thick clothes, alpacas have adapted live on a large mountainous, in a harsh terrain. In the highlands, the temperature fluctuates within one day up to 30 0 .

A feature of animals is the ability to breathe rarefied air. Their coat grows continuously, reaches 30 cm on the sides, is distinguished by a fine and delicate structure. The lengths of the main hair and undercoat are almost the same.

Shades of color from white to brown and black tones, sometimes meet alpacas with a pattern of white and beige spots. The unique qualities of wool are lightness, softness, shine, for which it is called the "divine fiber".

At alpacas a bifurcated lower lip and strong growing incisors on the lower jaw, allowing them to feed on various types of plants. They communicate with each other not only by vocal signs, but also widely use body language unfamiliar to a person: a certain stance, position of the ears, turn of the neck.

Alpaca crossbreeding and llamas give offspring ideally suited for the role of pets. Huarisos, as they are called, are distinguished by their ease of management, humility, and gentle character. But they do not give their offspring.

Alpaca Habitat and Lifestyle

The ancestors of the alpaca, as established by DNA studies, were vicuñas from the family of humpless camels, and - the closest relatives. Their habitat is South America, the highlands in the Andes.

About 3 million animals live in this territory, in forests, mountains and on the coast. In other places, the breed does not take root in natural conditions, although animals are exported to many countries of the world for breeding and domestication, only more than 60,000 live in England, and 10,000 alpaca settlers live in England. Repeated attempts to acclimatize alpacas in nature ended unsuccessfully.

Human interest in alpaca arose in antiquity, about half a century BC. The ancient Incas for the possession of wool, meat and animal skin were engaged in their breeding. Even manure found a use - it became fuel. Alpaca wool was called the gold of the Incas. Today, for the inhabitants of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, this is an important export product. And once it was the local currency of the Incas.

Living in the mountains, harsh climatic conditions, alpacas endure thanks to the warm and long hair that covers them especially densely on the sides. In terms of quality characteristics, it is seven times superior to sheep.

alpaca animal on its original territory leads a wild or semi-wild, in captivity, lifestyle. Herds of animals graze in the harsh regions of the highlands, almost at the very snow, where nothing but grass grows. Livestock breeders even plant other plants in local meadows to feed the alpaca.

In vivo alpacas live in herds. During daylight hours they are active, and at night there is a period of rest. During this time, you need to digest all the food eaten accumulated during the day.

The natural enemies of animals are mainly cougars and leopards. If small predators attack, alpacas defend themselves with their front legs, striking at the enemy and spitting. At the same time, they make sounds that notify relatives of danger.

Alpaca in captivity

Usually they build a small paddock with a canopy from rain or snow. A warm room is not required, because the unique wool is an excellent thermostat. They do not differ in diet from ordinary herbivorous farm animals. Favorite treat is licking salt.

By nature, animals are very sweet and kind creatures, in relation to humans they are obedient and unobstinate. They have an immoderate curiosity, because of which they can get hurt if something attracts their attention.

They are very stubborn in their intentions. Like camels - relatives, alpacas can spit. But they do it only in their own environment, mainly because of the sharing of food. People are not offended by this habit.

Due to their good nature, communication with alpacas is very useful for developmental activities among disabled children and the elderly. One has only to notice that sometimes animals show shyness, because of which they can suddenly strike with their feet or head. But in a calm atmosphere they never attack.

Animals are used as pack animals, they are able to carry up to 70 kg. But they keep alpacas, mainly, of course, because of the wool, which is of great value. Once upon a time, clothes made from their wool were worn only by very rich people. She is still one of the most expensive.

Breeders spend a lot of money on shipping and breeding alpaca. Buy cubs can only be in special nurseries. Breeding animals is very difficult.

Alpaca food

Alpaca is a herbivore. They feed on grasses, leaves, almost all types of vegetation. During the search for food, they move very slowly, looking for the most nutritious plants. They need regular watering.

They differ from other ruminants in an anatomical feature that gives them an advantage in foraging. The mouth of an alpaca is similar to a hare's lip, the incisors are angled, constantly growing, like those of rodents.

Alpacas are unpretentious and hardy, less demanding on food than the usual sheep. In captivity, they are fed grass and leaves in summer, and hay, vegetables, bread, and oatmeal in winter. The diet can be the same as that of a horse. To obtain wool of special quality, livestock breeders add various minerals to the feed.

Reproduction and lifespan of alpaca

AT herd of alpacas has its own alpha male, or leader, for a certain habitat. Marriage time in his harem lasts all year round. Bearing one cub lasts 11 months. Twins appear very rarely. Alpaca offspring are brought in two years only once.

A newborn baby weighing 1 kg gets up in an hour. The color of his coat is always soft cream, but later it changes. Maternal feeding continues until 6 months, when the cub reaches a weight of 30 kg.

The sexual maturity of young alpacas occurs by 2 years. Under natural conditions, animals live up to 25 years. But in captivity, their life, as a rule, ends by 7 years.

Alpaca price

The domestication of animals for the purpose of obtaining wool is a profitable enterprise. Many natural shades, antiseptic properties, resistance to rolling and stalling, wear resistance, absence of lanolin - an incomplete list of advantages and unique features.

The wool of a young animal is especially valuable and expensive. From one individual in two years, up to 1 kg is sheared once. For comparison, an adult animal gives up to 5 kg of wool. Therefore, the cost of products is attributed to a high price category: an Italian-made alpaca scarf costs about $400.

Modern technologies allow creating unique compositions of materials. Acrylic and wool blend alpaca - fabric High Quality. Many are familiar alpaca wool blanket, carpets of unsurpassed quality.

Features of care alpaca coat, scarves, bedspreads, blankets or other things is the inadmissibility of the use of naphthalene. It is allowed to use only natural antimole substances: lavender, tobacco or cedar.

Alpaca has been serving people for more than one millennium, remaining a creature that not only brings benefits in economic life, but also gives a person an invaluable connection with primordial nature and history.

Do you know about the existence of such an animal as Alpaca?

This Graceful pet comes from South America, the highlands (Andes).

They can also be called small domesticated llamas.

And they were tamed by the Mochica Indians 600 years ago.

Alpaca: description of the animal

Alpaca belongs to the camelid family. By constitution, they even somewhat resemble camels and llamas.

Even before 2001, there was an opinion that these beautiful creatures were a kind of lama. And only DNA analysis put everything in its place.

It turned out that the ancestors of the alpacas were Vicuñas, and not Guanaco - the progenitor of all llamas.

South American camels are divided into 2 groups: Wild (guanacos and vicuñas) and Domestic (llamas and alpacas).

Lama is about 2 times larger, it is able to carry loads of 70 - 80 kg.

In her homeland, she is used as a heavy truck, which helps to deliver cargo to the most impenetrable thickets.

But the alpaca is capable of a maximum of 20 kg, so they don’t use it as a cargo taxi.

Alpaca animal fur

He is famous for the quality of his wool. Inca gold is the name given to the wool of this noble alpaca animal.

Only rulers had the right to wear clothes made from his wool. The value of wool is as follows: it is hypoallergenic, does not cough, warms well from the cold, and protects from the heat.

Alpaca wool is fragrant, like French perfume, you don’t need to wash it with anything, just rinse it with running water, dry it and knit it. Clothing made from their wool is quite expensive, but of high quality.

Animals came to Europe about 20 years ago; it is bred a lot, there are whole clubs of alpaca lovers, where there is a constant exchange of information, there are their own vets. doctors specializing in this exotic.

Exhibitions, whole shows are organized, there are nominations, evaluation categories. Alpacas are grown as an ornamental animal, like a dog or a cat.

Today, wild alpacas do not exist in nature; about 6 thousand years ago, all representatives were domesticated.

When the conquistadors descended on South America, the animals fled to the inaccessible regions of the Andes.

And their pastures were safely occupied by sheep and cattle. This affected the decline in the alpaca population. Animals took a long time to get used to new living conditions.

Over time, alpacas adapted to the conditions of the highlands, but not as much as wild goats - they did not learn to jump like that.

Alpaca breeds

There are 2 breeds of alpaca, each with a fun South American name:

• Huakaya and Suri

The brothers differ in hair: long and short, but fluffy.

oddly enough longhair gives half as much wool when harvested

Alpacas are real musicians. They make perfect, indescribable sounds that you need to listen to!

Alpacotherapy is gaining popularity every day. You have already heard about dolphin therapy, the healing effects are similar. Animals are kind, not aggressive, very cute.

There is a lot of experience in treating children for autism and mental disorders in Europe. Children communicate with alpacas, ride them.

Children reach out to the animal, want to hug it, and mini llamas calmly let it in, they like the company of little friends.

There is even such a trick for those who have just bought this beautiful animal:

To make contact with alpacas, you need to kneel down, so you will be the same height with them.

So they get used to you much faster, they will let you closer, you will become friends faster.

Alpaca Care

If you decide to get yourself this curiosity. Then you will need to prepare in advance. Build shelter against snow and rain. They are afraid of the wind. They need their own private home.

They do not sort out food, they have 3 stomachs. Need a dry product to digest food. Under natural living conditions, alpacas chew thorns, but not everyone in the yard grows them in the right amount. You can replace them with hay for stiffness.

These quirky pets simply adore any vegetables and fruits: apples, pears, pumpkins. For them, it is much tastier to eat the leaves of fruit trees than green grass - these are gourmets.

Food is taken gently with lips, and then frayed. Males have 2 incisors. If there are several male alpacas in the flock, in order to avoid conflicts with future injuries, they are removed.

This pet loves to swim. A spray hose option will do. Sand baths are a must for alpaca. Thanks to the sand, the wool becomes airy and very soft when brushed.

Once every two weeks, alpaca nails should be trimmed, naturally “at home” they have nothing to wash off. The nails grow on a kind of soft cushions, they do not have a hard hoof, like a horse. Therefore, animals walk freely around the site, do not damage the lawn grass.

On the contrary, the alpaca is a natural lawn mower. During the day, they pinch (not pull out) the lawn grass, making it neat. Here is such an irreplaceable soda animal!

Alpacas are good weather forecasters, they react to nature. They know it will rain or just drip.

The fur coat of a pet grows quite quickly 15 - 18 cm per year. Once a year it should be sheared, but not like sheep, you can’t cut it to zero.

You need to cut it only in April, so that it has time to grow before the cold weather. With one haircut you can get 3 - 4 kg of precious wool.

These beautiful animals are able to travel, they normally tolerate moving. It is important to close all windows for them so that they do not peep.

Alpacas may decide that they are running rather than standing still, they will begin to breathe quickly and excitedly. This is such a miracle of nature.

Alpaca is one of the 10 most incredible animals in the world!

Where they sell alpaca, Internet sites

You must have read my interesting article about Alpaca. If you are the lucky one who can afford to have this home miracle - you have a spacious garden, financial well-being, out-of-the-box thinking, etc. You will need my information.

I collected information where they sell alpaca. Of course, this is not complete information, but it may be useful to you.

Most of the catteries are located in Europe, but there are amateur breeders in our country (CIS).

Sale on the territory of Ukraine

• http://zoopets.com.ua/index.php?route=common/home
• http://www.ukrzoo.com.ua/
• http://www.alpaka.pp.ua/ - I want to draw your attention to this site. The family brought their alpacas from Austria, a film was made about them and their pets (available on the Internet). They treat children with alpacotherapy.

Sale in Russia

• http://www.alpacainfo.ru/rossiiskie-alpaki - is engaged in independent breeding in Russia.
• http://www.zoocenter.ru/boomboard/?show_one=1&catID=39&postID=45977 - private Moscow announcement.
• http://www.zoo-ekzo.ru/node/137

The price of Alpaca ranges from 80.000 -300.000 thousand rubles.

Views: 4342

13.11.2017

Alpaca(lat. Vicugna pacos, the camelid family) is a herbivorous domestic animal tamed by man more than 6000 years ago. Unlike Serving the ancient Indian tribes as pack animals, alpacas were used as a source of valuable fur and wool for making warm clothes and shoes.

The ancestors of alpacas are presumably artiodactyl mammals.vicuñas(lat. Vicugna vicugna), common in the Andes, in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile. In size, they are much smaller than guanacos (the animals that became the progenitors of llamas), but they have a great external resemblance to them.

A characteristic feature of vicunas, inherent only to this species, is a pair of lower incisors, which tend to grow constantly (as in rodents) throughout the life of animals. Wild herds of vicunas live on high mountain plateaus located at an altitude of up to 4500 - 5500 m. Delicate and thick wool helps animals survive in high mountains, where there is a contrasting change in temperature.

If the average weight of vicuñas is about 50 kg, then in their descendants, alpacas, it reaches 70 kg. Alpaca growth rarely exceeds one meter. Animals are not suitable for cargo transportation, but their wool is recognized as the best in the world in terms of quality. There are two subspecies of alpacas: Suri (lat. Suri) and Huacaya (lat. Huacaya), which differ from each other in the length and density of the coat. Suri is easily recognizable by the long, silky curls of her fur hanging almost to the ground. Huacaya wool is not so long, it resembles a very soft and delicate plush. For a year, one animal produces from 3 to 6 kg of raw wool, from which 1 - 3 kg of valuable yarn can be obtained.

Alpacas are classified as centenarians - their average life expectancy is 20 - 25 years, the productive period lasts 14 years. The number of alpacas in their natural habitat today is about 3.5 million. Animals feed on herbaceous plants, weeds, leaves and shoots of perennials; on farms, vegetables, fruits and mineral supplements are added to their diet, which positively affects the quality of fleece. The need for food in alpacas is much less than in other farm animals: grazing 25 heads requires a pasture of 1 hectare. In addition, they constantly need fresh water. The physiological feature of these animals is the absence of upper incisors, in connection with which they tear off the stems with their lips.

Alpacas are diurnal. In the evening, they are busy chewing food. Since in the wild animals are accustomed to a herd existence, they usually keep in small groups, consisting of several females with cubs and one leader. Female alpacas carry babies for a little over 11 months. Usually one cub is born (twins happen once in 1000 births), whose weight does not exceed 1 kg.

Alpacas have a very sweet and meek disposition. Outwardly, they look like long-legged and long-necked sheep. The special structure of their feet, like that of all members of the camelid family, favorably affects the preservation of the natural landscape: alpacas are not able to trample the grass cover due to the lack of hooves. Attempts to move alpacas from the Andes to other mountainous regions (Europe, Africa) were unsuccessful. But in the farms of the USA, Canada, Europe and Australia, where the animals were taken out for the purpose of domestication and breeding, a significant number of alpacas live. So, today the number of alpacas in the UK has about 10 thousand animals, in Germany and Switzerland about 4 thousand, and in Australia - up to 60 thousand. Keeping and caring for alpacas is not difficult: it is necessary to provide them with food, water and build a corral with a canopy or provide other shelter (a clean, unheated room) in case of bad weather.

Alpaca wool is of the greatest economic importance. It is distinguished by purity, fine fiber and strength. The natural color of the coat varies from white, cream, beige to brown and black, and has up to 52 shades (according to the classification in Peru).

Alpaca wool is highly resistant to weathering, so it can remain unpolluted for a long time. It does not contain lanolin, has lightness, strength, high thermal insulation and water-repellent, hypoallergenic properties. Alpaca wool is used for the manufacture of high-quality home textiles, characterized by lightness, soft fiber and excellent warming effect (blankets, blankets, bedspreads), fabrics, yarns and clothes.

In addition to wool, the skin and fur of these animals are highly valued. The excellent taste of alpaca meat also does not go unnoticed. This product has been recognized by nutritionists and cooks as the most delicious, healthy and dietary. 100 g of alpaca meat contains 23 g of protein and a small amount of fat. One adult animal gives up to 23 kg of meat, half of which is intended for cooking sausages, ham, sausages.

Alpacas are often used as pets. They are distinguished by calmness, goodwill, intelligence and complaisance. They can participate in games with disabled children, brighten up loneliness for the elderly, serve as a means of psychotherapy for those who suffer from depressive disorders.