On this page, you will find all infos about the alpaca advent calendar of the current year as well as the archive by the end of November 2024.
You can follow this advent calendar by either regularly watching this page, or by subscribing to it via Telegram or RSS-Feed.
- AAC: 24th door
Medicine’s Newest Tiny Heroes Did you know that alpacas are becoming unexpected stars in medical research? While these gentle animals are famous for their soft fiber, they’re now making headlines in laboratories worldwide for a completely different reason: their unique antibodies. Unlike regular antibodies, alpacas produce incredibly small ones called… Read more: AAC: 24th door - AAC: 23rd door
Baby Alpaca Academy Did you know that baby alpacas (crias) have a special window of learning when it comes to food? Scientists have discovered that around three months of age is a crucial time for these youngsters to learn about what to eat. Unlike llamas, who are more adventurous eaters,… Read more: AAC: 23rd door - AAC: 22nd door
Innovation in Cria Care Here’s an inspiring story of how modern science is helping ancient animals: While alpaca babies (crias) are naturally tough, scientists have found a remarkably simple way to help them survive their first critical months. In a study, researchers discovered that using simple thermal vests on newborn… Read more: AAC: 22nd door - AAC: 21st door
The Independent Newborns Here’s a surprising fact about alpaca babies: unlike most mammal mothers who spend lots of time cleaning and grooming their newborns, alpaca moms take a completely different approach! When a cria (baby alpaca) is born, the mother doesn’t clean it at all – the baby has to… Read more: AAC: 21st door - AAC: 20th door
The Blue-Eyed Mystery Here’s a fascinating genetic puzzle from the world of alpacas: when these animals have both white fleece and blue eyes (known as the BEW phenotype), about 80% of them are deaf! This isn’t just a random coincidence – it’s actually related to how certain cells develop during… Read more: AAC: 20th door - AAC: 19th door
The Gender Vision Gap Here’s a surprising discovery from the world of camelids: female and male llamas actually see the world differently! Scientists have found that female llamas tend to be more nearsighted than their male counterparts. While we don’t fully understand why this gender difference exists, it might be… Read more: AAC: 19th door - AAC: 18th door
Vision Quest Did you know that llamas and alpacas, despite being close relatives, actually see the world quite differently? Scientists have discovered that llamas are slightly nearsighted and have some astigmatism (meaning their cornea has an irregular shape), while alpacas have almost perfect vision. But here’s the really fascinating part:… Read more: AAC: 18th door - AAC: 17th door
The Language of Humming Did you know that alpacas have developed a complex vocal communication system? While they’re generally quiet animals, alpacas are actually more vocal than llamas. Their most common vocalization is a humming sound, which comes in different varieties for different situations. Scientists have identified distinct types of… Read more: AAC: 17th door - AAC: 16th door
Smart Problem Solvers Did you know that alpacas might actually be more cognitively flexible than horses, donkeys, mules and dogs? When scientists tested them with a spatial problem-solving task, alpacas showed a surprising ability to adapt when conditions changed. In an experiment where animals had to find a gap in… Read more: AAC: 16th door - AAC: 15th door
Feeding Finesse In contrast to most grazing animals like sheep or cattle, alpacas have developed a unique and precise way of feeding. While other grazers use their tongues to wrap around grass and pull it into their mouths, alpacas rarely stick out their tongues at all. Instead, they rely on… Read more: AAC: 15th door - AAC: 14th door
Natural Waste Management Systems Unlike most grazing animals that deposit their droppings randomly across pastures, alpacas and llamas have developed a sophisticated communal bathroom system. They create and maintain specific areas called latrines, where members of the herd gather to defecate and urinate. This isn’t just tidy behavior – it… Read more: AAC: 14th door - AAC: 13th door
Survival Specialists Unlike many domestic animals that quickly lose condition when food is scarce, alpacas have retained an impressive ability from their wild ancestors to cope with major fluctuations in food availability. Their metabolic adaptations allow them to thrive in environments where food quality and quantity change dramatically between seasons.… Read more: AAC: 13th door - AAC: 12th door
Masters of high-altitude living Living in the high Andes means dealing with extreme conditions – intense UV radiation, scarce oxygen, freezing temperatures, and limited water and food resources. Alpacas have evolved an impressive array of biological adaptations to thrive where other livestock species struggle. Their secret lies in how efficiently… Read more: AAC: 12th door - AAC: 11th door
The Investment you can hug While genetic studies were revealing widespread hybridization in South American alpaca populations, a very different alpaca story was unfolding in North America. In the early 2000s, alpacas were being marketed as “the investment you could hug,” with some breeding animals fetching astounding prices of up… Read more: AAC: 11th door - AAC: 10th door
The Price of Crossbreeding When international demand for alpaca fiber increased, some farmers sought ways to boost their production. Their solution seemed simple: crossbreed alpacas with llamas to get more fiber per animal. While this strategy did increase fiber volume, it came with a hidden cost that’s still affecting the… Read more: AAC: 10th door - AAC: 9th door
The Tale of Two Fleeces Building on our exploration of alpaca fiber history, let’s look at another fascinating aspect of these animals’ wool: Alpaca fleeces come in two distinctly different varieties that look so different you might think they come from entirely different species. The more common type is Huacaya,… Read more: AAC: 9th door - AAC: 8th door
The ancient fine fiber story Building on the importance of camelids for mountain communities, let’s explore a fascinating discovery about their historical fiber quality: Archaeological findings have revealed a remarkable decline in alpaca fiber quality over the centuries. When researchers examined 900-1000 year old naturally mummified alpacas found at El… Read more: AAC: 8th door - AAC: 7th door
Sustaining Mountain Connections In the harsh environment of the high Andes, where few crops can grow and most livestock species struggle to survive, camelids remain crucial for local communities’ survival. Alpacas and llamas are perfectly adapted to life at extreme altitudes of 3,800-5,000 meters above sea level, where they help… Read more: AAC: 7th door - AAC: 6th door
Ancient Record Keepers Before spreadsheets or written records existed, Andean herders developed an ingenious system for keeping track of their alpaca herds – the quipu, a series of knotted cords. These weren’t simple counting tools. Through different knot patterns and cord colors, herders could record detailed information about their herd… Read more: AAC: 6th door - AAC: 5th door
Sacred Guardians of the Andes Building on the meaning of the name “Allpaka,” this spiritual connection between camelids and the land goes even deeper in Andean culture, particularly in how these animals are classified. In the Andean worldview, camelids aren’t simply divided into wild and domestic species like we might… Read more: AAC: 5th door - AAC: 4th door
The Living Land Connection The name “alpaca” carries a deeper meaning that offers a fascinating window into how Andean peoples view these animals. In the indigenous Quechua language, “Allpaka” comes from combining two words: “allpa” meaning “land” and “kamay” meaning “to animate.” When we translate this literally, alpacas are “animals… Read more: AAC: 4th door - AAC: 3rd door
The unique fleece we have discussed yesterday is perfectly adapted to survive in the harsh conditions of the Atacama desert. However, this insulating fleece can also be a challenge in hot weather. Alpacas have a specific “thermal window” – their belly, armpits, and groin areas – where they can shed… Read more: AAC: 3rd door - AAC: 2nd door
Now that we have established that camelids are such amazing animals, let’s dive into what makes them so amazing. And what’s the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about alpacas? Of course, their fleece. And this fleece has some very amazing properties, which is why this is a… Read more: AAC: 2nd door - AAC: 1st door
The fact to kick this calendar off comes as no surprise to those who have been following this calendar since at least 2020. Back then I had already announced that the United Nations have made the year 2024 (which is this year) the International Year of Camelids. The Year was… Read more: AAC: 1st door - Alpaca Advent Calendar 2024
As the year is coming to a close, I will continue a project I had started seven years ago: The alpaca advent calendar. Among my friends I’m known to be a fanatic for everything that has to do with alpacas. Because I wanted to spread this love for alpacas, I… Read more: Alpaca Advent Calendar 2024