Alpacas are part of the camelid family. They are the smaller and cuter (in our humble opinion 🙂 ) relatives to the llamas. We had a neighbor once describe them as a cross between a giraffe and a poodle. As adults, they weigh between 120-150 pounds. Every year, we shear their fleece. We turn this into roving, mats, hats, socks, gloves. Alpaca fleece is about 5x warmer than sheep wool, is known to wick moisture and is generally hypoallergenic. We are raising high quality show alpacas. We take them to shows around the country where they are judged on many characteristics of their fleece and their conformation. Although they certainly look cuddly, alpacas are more aloof. They are similar to deer in that they are interested in people on their own terms. They are not huge fans of being touched. They are prey animals so with sudden movement, they will run away. However, we spend a great deal of time socializing our animals so that they can become more accustomed to humans so that visitors can enjoy a meaningful interaction with them.