An alpaca is about 3 ft. high and an adult weights between 50 and 80 kilos. An alpaca cria weights about 5-7 kilos at birth. Below this weight they might be premature. The gestation period is between 11 and 12 months and most of the time the cria is born in the early morning. There are two breeds of alpaca : the huacaya and the suri. The fiber of the huacaya is short and dense while the fleece of a suri is much longer. Most alpacas are huacaya. Sometimes the alpaca spits but this usually occurs at a crowded feeding area when a female is defending her cria or when a pregnant alpaca is fending off the mating advance of a male.