Alpaca

Alpaca, which originated from South America, has always been a mysterious and exotic mammal for me. Until now, over 90% of alpacas are still live in South America. Luckily, we visited Peru during the 2019 Easter Holiday, and we have absolutely enjoyed our exotic acquaintances. They are very obedient, shy, and cute!

Here are some fun facts about Alpaca, time to test your alpaca knowledge:

1. Alpaca cannot live alone. It is said that alpacas have really strong herding instincts. The best way to keep an alpaca with a companion is to have them all be the same gender. This is because even neutered alpacas can sometimes successfully bond with each other.
2. Alpacas are vegetarian. Alpacas diet mostly consists of grass, but also includes leaves, wood, bark, or stems. Do you know how much they eat? An adult alpaca only eats 0.9 kg per day.
3. Alpacas do not have teeth in the top-front of their mouths. In hindsight, I realized this after I had finished this painting.
4. They always poop in the same spot. Because of their predisposition to pooping in designated areas, some alpacas have been successfully house-trained.
5. Llamas have always been used as beasts of burden, while alpacas are strictly bred for their wool.
6. Alpaca wool is softer and less itchy than sheep’s wool. The best part of it is that their wool is both water and flame-resistant.