The Alpaca (Lama pacos) is a large South American ungulate featured in the Barnyard Animal Pack DLC for Planet Zoo.
Zoopedia Description[]
General[]
Population In Wild: 3,000,000
The alpaca (or Vicugna pacos) is a small, domesticated camelid species originating from the Andes regions of Peru, Bolivia, and Chile. It was domesticated thousands of years ago by native South American peoples, who used alpaca fleece to create clothing. Alpacas have a long, slender neck and long legs. Their whole body is covered in thick wool, except for the face, sometimes giving them the appearance of having a ‘hairdo’. The wool may be any shade of white, red, brown, or black. Colouration may be solid or piebald. Male and female alpacas look alike, standing 80cm to 100cm tall and weighing between 48kg and 90kg.
Alpacas are domesticated and are commonly kept as farm animals across the world. They do not have any conservation needs but can act as ambassador animals for their wild relatives in educational settings.
Social[]
Alpacas are very social, herd-oriented animals who shouldn’t be kept alone. Provided enough space and access to resources, their herds can grow very large. Like other camelids, they use spitting behaviours to establish dominance in a group.
Reproduction[]
Alpacas can breed at any time of the year. They are induced ovulators, meaning that ovulation occurs after a mating event. When a male is interested in a female, he will pursue her for several minutes, until she either allows him to mate or rejects his advances. A female alpaca may refuse a male if she thinks she is already pregnant and chase him away by spitting at him. If she is receptive to him, she will sit down and allow mating.
On average, a pregnancy lasts 11.5 months, after which the female gives birth to one young, called cria. Twin births may happen very rarely. Alpacas have a very short interbirth period of only about 2 weeks, meaning a female is likely to mate and be pregnant again while she is raising her cria. Cria will nurse from their mothers for around 6 months until they are weaned.
Male alpacas reach sexual maturity between 2 and 3 years old, while female alpacas can successfully reproduce as young as 18 months old.
Animal Care[]
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PREFERRED OBJECTS | |
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Hay · Herbivore Pellets · Fruit and Vegetables | |
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FEEDING STATIONS | |
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FOOD ENRICHMENT |
HABITAT ENRICHMENT |
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COMPATIBLE ANIMALS |
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Trivia[]
Zoopedia Fun Facts[]
- All South American camelids were initially grouped in the genus ‘Lama’. However, recent DNA analysis now suggests that alpacas descend from the vicuña (rather than the guanaco, the llama’s ancestor), and places both in the new genus ‘Vicugna’.
- While the larger relative of the alpaca, the llama, was domesticated as a pack and working animal, alpacas were domesticated for their wool.
- There are only two breeds of alpaca, the Huacaya and the Suri, the latter making up less than 10% of the world's alpaca population.
- Alpacas have a friendly nature and respond positively to training. They can be used as therapy animals in care homes.
- When Europeans invaded South America, a large part of the alpaca population was killed or died to newly introduced diseases. Some survived high in the mountains, and today alpacas are quite populous and globally distributed.
Gallery[]
