There are only 5 – 7 thousand alpacas in North America, but somehow my sister and I found a pen of them. This is what we heard from the far side of the chain-link fence…
“Individuals vary, but Alpacas generally make a humming sound. Hums are often comfort noises, letting the other alpacas know they are present and content. The humming can take on many inflections and meanings, from questioning to a high-pitched, almost desperate, squealing when a mother is separated from her offspring.
“Alpacas make a variety of sounds. When they are in danger, they make a high-pitched, shrieking whine. Some breeds are known to make a “wark” noise when excited. Strange dogs—and even cats—can trigger this reaction. To signal friendly and/or submissive behavior, alpacas “cluck,” or “click” a sound possibly generated by suction on the soft palate, or possibly in the nasal cavity. This is often accompanied by a flipping up of the tail over the back.
“When males fight they also scream, a warbling bird-like cry, presumably intended to terrify the opponent. Fighting determines dominance, and therefore the right to mate the females in the herd, and it is triggered by testosterone. This is why males are often kept in separate paddocks—when two dominant males get together, violent fights often occur. When males must be pastured together, it is wise to trim down the large fang-like teeth used in fights, called “fighting teeth”.
“Although alpacas may try to bite each other, they only have a bottom row of teeth, so damage is usually minimal. When fighting they will often tangle others necks and attempt to push each other around, but they settle down after a week, as they establish dominance.
“When alpacas breed, males make a similar noise called an “orgle”. This is thought to possibly stimulate ovulation in the female. This can sound like a warbling or gargling noise in the back or the throat, possibly generated by movement of the tongue.” All the camelid information is courtesy of Wikipedia.
*There was no Saturday fashion this week. I wore a drug-rug sweater from Amsterdam that is two sizes too big along with ordinary blue jeans and dirty brown Converse sneakers. Ow, my leg.
I want to snorg the black one. Fang-teeth and all.
Looking like a brown-and-white spotted alpaca, third arm! Swinging!
your teeth are gorgeously white in the first picture. I think that the alpaca is having tooth envy…-ecouraged by the upper set of teeth envy of course.