The average adult alpaca weighs between 100 and 175 pounds and stands about 36 inches at the withers. The average life span of these herd-oriented animals is about 20 years.
Alpacas are timid and gentle, yet curious.
They are easy to care for, readily trained and adapt well to all climates. Instead of hooves, they have padded feet with two toes making them gentle on the land. As ruminants, they efficiently convert grass and hay to energy, eating significantly less than most other livestock animals. There are two kinds of alpacas - the Huacaya and the Suri. While their body types are identical, they appear distinctly different because of the unique fibers they produce.