Alpaca Trivia Quiz

There are 22 official colors for alpacas. Several of these are shades (for example light brown, medium brown, and dark brown are all separate colors).

Pronking is something that many four-legged critters do, but most notably deer, gazelles, and alpacas. It is generally associated with playfulness and energy.

Baby alpacas are called crias. It has roots in the Spanish words for creation and offspring

An alpaca can bundle up so compactly when cushing that they can (theoretically) be transported in many standard-sized vehicles. (We don't recommend this for safety reasons)

Aside from body language, the most common noise you'll hear from alpacas is a gentle humming. Hums are usually a sign that the alpaca is relaxed and comfortable, but there are also more concerned anxious hums. You'll generally be able to tell the difference from the tone and the body language.

Alpacas use communal dung piles, using the bathroom in the same general spot. Sometimes they will have a couple different "bathrooms" they will use, but as a rule they will try to keep them far away from where they eat. It is our personal belief at Alpaca Facts that alpacas have some notion of mourning their dead, but we don't have any verifiable proof of it yet. We also believe that because of alpacas use of communal dung piles, they should be able to be house trained, but we haven't been able to test that theory yet.

Alpacas are very gentle on pasture, and they don't eat much (only around 2 pound per day). Because of this, each acre of pasture can handle 5 alpacas (give or take and alpaca or two), depending on the pasture.

While many people confuse llamas and alpacas, llamas are actually much more closely related to guanacos than alpacas. While they all are very close and originate from a similar area in South America, vicuñas are remarkably similar to alpacas in both size and behavior.

Tan is not an official color. Beige and light brown are, but not tan.

Some people do eat alpaca, they are mostly used for their fiber. It is very soft and frequently used in sweaters, socks, hats, and much more! Llamas are known for being protective animals, and alpacas may be able to fight off a fox or two, but if you get much bigger than that, they are in as much danger as anything they would be protecting.

Alpacas have sharp canines at the back of their mouths called fighting teeth. When fighting for dominance, alpacas can severely and sometimes permanently injure their opponents with these teeth.

The Incan people loved alpacas, llamas, and vicunas. Vicunas were so prized that their fleece was reserved for royalty.

Alpacas only weigh around 100-200 pounds. It isn't impossible for an alpaca to have almost 10% of their body weight in fiber in a year. Can you imagine walking around 15 pounds of hair on you?