HIKING WITH LLAMAS IN MONTANA The New York Times

Llamas who don’t have a lot of body fat are susceptible to the cold even if they have a naturally thick, woolly coat. For some llamas, coats are a necessity in the winter, while for others, they are fine without them. Alpacas are descendants of the wild vicuña and were domesticated by Andean people over 6,000 years ago. Today they are kept primarily because of their extremely soft fleece, which is used to spin into yarn for textiles.

The spitting is actually a form of communication between the alpacas. It is how crias and young adults learn to interact appropriately in a herd. It could be viewed as their defense mechanism but it’s not really – running is what they rely on for a defense mechanism. The spit is a fine spray of partially digested grass, not too pleasant smelling, but it brushes off once dry. The good news is that alpacas rarely spit at people.

Since this was a free day at our base camp, we were given choices. We could stay behind with the llamas or follow the guides on a day hike. Mark was open to suggestions as to how far we went as there were 9 alpine lakes to explore.

Feeding llamas are noticeably cheaper than cows and horses. While minor exposure to these toxins is unlikely to harm your llama seriously, large amounts Doeat.top What do animals eat in the rainforest can cause severe health complications and, sadly, even death. Therefore, a standard four to five feet high stock fence will work perfectly well.

Alpaca fiber has a cellular structure similar to hair and is more resilient and much stronger than Merino sheep wool. It is highly sought after in Britain, Europe and Japan. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo exhibits huacaya alpaca. An adult male alpaca’s upper and lower incisors and lower canines develop into fighting teeth or fangs that can be more than 1.2 inches (3 centimeters) long. Aside from this difference in tooth morphology, sexual dimorphism is minimal in alpacas. Females, in particular, tend to have a natural need to be part of a herd.

A common ancestor to the South American camelids migrated there about 2.5 million years ago. Two wild species, vicunas and guanacos, still live in the Andes today. A. Female alpacas are ready to breed 24 to 36 months of age depending on the physical stature and maturity level of the alpaca. They do not have a breeding season and can usually be mated at any time of the year. However, in the south alpacas are usually bred in late December thru end of May timeframe to avoid the heat of summer for the alpaca’s last trimester. Alpacas require ‘live breeding’ – artificial insemination is not possible because like cats and rabbits they are induced ovulators, which means that the act of breeding causes them to ovulate.

Their compact size contributes to easy management and to desirability as a companion animal. Alpacas easily learn to lead, jump in and out of vehicles, cush (sit down) and obey other simple commands. Males produce approximately 8 pounds and females about 5 pounds of easily marketable fiber from their coats per year. A. Alpacas are ruminants which means they chew cud like a cow or a deer.