Alpaca

The alpaca is a species of South American camelid. It is similar to, and often confused with, the llama. However, alpacas are often noticeably smaller than llamas.
They are social herd animals that live in family groups. Alpacas warn the herd about intruders by making sharp, noisy inhalations that sound like a high-pitched bray.
Females are induced ovulators, the act of mating and the presence of semen causes them to ovulate. A male is usually ready to mate for the first time between two and three years of age. It is not advisable to allow a young female to be bred until she is mature and has reached two-thirds of her mature weight. As the age of maturation varies greatly between individuals, it is usually recommended that novice breeders wait until females are 18 months of age or older before initiating breeding.
The gestation period is, on an average, 11.5 months, and usually results in a single offspring, or cria. Twins are rare, occurring about once per 1000 deliveries. Cria are generally between 15 and 19 pounds, and are standing 30 to 90 minutes after birth. After a female gives birth, she is generally receptive to breeding again after about two weeks. Crias may be weaned through human intervention at about six months old.
The average lifespan of an alpaca is between 15–20 years, and the longest-lived alpaca on record is 27 years.