User:Stephh20/sandbox

Draft

Steph:

Lead:

Alpacas have several different components to how they behave. They depend on their body communication to get their point across when they are threatened or happy. They spit when they are in distress, fearful, or to show dominance. Male alpacas tend to behave more aggressively than female alpacas because they want to have full dominance of their herd group. 

Diet

Alpacas chew their food which ends up being mixed with their cud and saliva and then they swallow it. They bring up the cud and chew it while they are resting. They end up spending a third of their day just looking and collecting their food. Alpacas usually eat 1.5% of its body weight for normal growth. They mainly need pasture grass, hay, or silage but some may also need supplemental energy and protein foods. Pasture grass is a great source of protein. When seasons change, the grass loses or gains more protein. For example in the spring, the pasture grass has about 20% protein while in the summer, it only has 6%. They need more energy supplements in the winter to produce body heat and warmth. They get their fiber from hay or from long stems which provides them with vitamin E. Green grass contains vitamin A and E.

Behavior

(added to what is already written)

Alpaca’s are not only aggressive, but they can be very gentle, intelligent, and extremely observant. For the most part, alpacas are very quiet but male alpacas are more energetic in a sense where they get involved in fighting with other alpacas. When they prey, they are cautious but also nervous when they feel any type of threat. They can feel threatened when another alpaca or even a person come up from behind.

Alpacas are all about personal space and they set their own boundaries within their families and groups. They make a hierarchy in some sense and each alpaca is smart enough to know who dominates in each group. Body language is the key to their communication. It helps to maintain their order and keep an environment that they all want to live in. One example of their body communication includes a pose named broadside where their ears are pulled back and they stand sideways which is used when male alpacas are defending their territory.

When they are born, they are taught to follow larger objects and to sit near or under the large objects for example a baby alpaca with its mother. This can also be applied to when an alpaca passes by any other older alpaca. 

Spitting

(added to what is already written)

Alpacas can spit for several reasons. A female alpaca spits when she knows shes not interested in a male alpaca. Both genders of alpaca keep others away from their food or anything they have their eyes on. Spitting can also happen when an alpaca is trying to warn any threats away. But there are also those alpacas that will spit just to spit whenever they feel like it. Most give a slight warning before they just go ahead and spit. They basically blow air out and raise their heads where it looks like their ears are pinned and make a little noise then there comes the saliva.

Alpacas can spit out to ten feet if they need to, for example if the other animal does not back off then it will throw up its stomach insides resulting in a lot of spit. Alpacas, themselves, actually do not like the taste of their food so they just leave their mouths wide open until it’s all gone.

A couple signs of stress which can lead to their spitting habits include: humming, a wrinkle under their eye, drooling, rapid breathing, and stomping their feet. When an alpaca is showing any sign of interest or alertness, they tend to sniff their surroundings, watches closely, and they even just stand quietly and stare.

When it comes to reproduction, they spit because it is a response triggered by the progesterone levels being increased which is associated with the ovulation.

Hygiene

(added before what is already written)

Alpacas are in general very organized and neat. When they go to the bathroom they usually designate one place, even if they need to walk farther away. They use a communal dung pile. Their waste is collected and used as garden fertilizer or even natural fertilizer.

Another factor that goes into alpaca hygiene is their tooth care. When observing the teeth of an alpaca, it is a good way to tell if they have a healthy digestive system. Alpacas have their full set of adult teeth by the age of six. Male alpacas have 32 teeth and female alpacas have 30 teeth. Males have those extra two teeth because they are called their fighting teeth and female alpacas do not have those unless they are rare species. Alpacas have six lower incisors which help them bite off plants to chew. They do not have any upper incisors, but their mouths are lined up perfectly so that they have the ability to eat grass, hay, and plants.

There are warning signs to when an alpaca may have dental hygiene problems. One way to tell is if they take a while to chew their grass or hay or when they are eating, they continue to spill all their food and not keep it in their mouths. Another sign can be the poor body condition and if their cheeks are pushed in. 

Sound

(added after what is already written)

Alpacas have several sets of sounds they make to communicate what they are thinking or feeling with each other.

• Humming: When alpacas are born, the mother and its child hum constantly. They also hum as a sign of distress especially when they are separated from their herd. A couple other ways alpacas will hum is if they are curious, happy, worried or cautious.
• Snorting: Alpacas snort when another alpaca is invading their space.
• Grumbling: Alpacas grumble when they are warning something for example when one has gotten into their space and coming to close. It sounds like they are gurgling.
• Clucking: Similar to a hen’s cluck, alpacas cluck when a mother is concerned for her cria or when they are content.
• Screaming: Their screams are extremely deafening and loud. They will scream when they are not handled right or when they are being attacked by a potential enemy.
• Screeching: This sound is typically used by a male alpaca when they are in a fight over who will dominate. When female screeches, it is more of a growl when they are angry.
• Alarm call: Alpacas will make a loud alarming sound when something unusual is happening or when one is trying to enter their space.
• Orgling: This sound is made when alpacas are mating.

Reproduction

(added after the second paragraph under this section)

Alpacas can breed at any time but it is more difficult to breed in the winter. Most breed during Autumn or late Spring. Females mate based on their weight and age but since owners cannot necessarily weigh their alpacas, they breed when they are a year old. The most popular way to have alpacas mate is pen mating.. Pen mating is when they grab both the female and the desired male into a pen. Another way is paddock mating where one male alpaca is let loose in the paddock with several female alpacas.

In some countries, they usually do not mate until they approach the age of 2 years old. Alpacas, unlike other animals, do not have a menstrual or a seasonal cycle. They just have these induced ovulators which means that the eggs are released in reaction to mating.

Most pregnancies are implanted in the left uterine horn. This makes it so that the embryos must travel from the right to the left uterine horn.  Rejection of the male Is a good sign that there is a chance of pregnancy. There is not any external body appearance that shows a woman alpaca pregnant. 

Karimah:

Lifestyle and Habitat

Alpacas can be found all over South America. Since they are currently domesticated,  they are no longer living anywhere in the wild. They typically live in temperate conditions in the mountains with high altitudes,  but after people started to take them in as pets they adapted to any climate and area. A prime example of this adaptation is the fact that they were used to living high up in the mountains with cooler weather but now they are living in places where it it hot and dry.

They are easy to care for since they are not limited to a specific type of environment. Animals such as,  flamingos, condors, spectacled bears, mountain lions, coyotes, llamas, and sheep live near this amazing animal when they are in their natural habitat. People who own Alpacas tend to keep them in herds along side sheep. The main reason why Alpacas and sheep are kept together is so the alpacas can protect the sheep when they are eating grass throughout the day. It is interesting how the alpacas chase the predators away to insure the sheep’s safety.

Today most alpacas are kept on farms for their fiber.Since they are friendly and easy to maintain, statistics have shown an incline in the number of people taking them in as pets rather than strictly using them as a profit. Although they are kept as pets they still need a big enough area for them to roam around. They like to drink a lot of water in order to keep cool in those hot and dry weather conditions that they were not originally used to.

Population

Since alpacas are native to Peru, they currently have the largest population of alpacas in the world. About eighty-seven percent of the 3,685,516 million Alpaca population inhabits Peru. Their population declined drastically after the Spanish conquest where they invaded the Andes mountains in 1532, after they arrived they murdered 98% of these animals and also brought over diseases that killed them.

As a result of this invasion the Alpacas were forced to move higher into the mountains and ended up residing there for good. Although this invasion almost completely wiped out their population, they were rediscovered sometime during the 19th century by Europeans. After finding use for alpacas they became important to societies during the industrial revolution.

Today, alpacas can be found all over Australia. While they might not have a very large population, they do have one of the largest breeding farms. Their population was introduced when they were smuggled out of South America in order to use their fiber to contribute to the wool market in Australia.

Fernando

Evolution

The family of Camelidaes first arose in Americas 40-45 million years ago during the Eocene period from the common ancestor, Protylopus. 30 million years after the Family first came to be it diverged into Camelini and Lamini, the tribes took different migratory patterns to cross into what we now know as Asia and into South America respectively. Although the Camelids became extinct in North America around 3 million years ago their cousins in the South flourished into the tribes we see today.  It wasn't until 2-5 million years ago, during the Pliocene epoch that the genus Hemiauchenia of the tribe Lamini split into Peleolama and Lama, the latter would then split again into Lama and Vicugna upon migrating down to South America.

The remains of the Vicugna vicugna and Lama guanicoe have been found throughout Peru for around 12,000 years.  Their domesticated counterparts, the llama and alpacas have been found mummified in the Moquegua valley in the south of Peru dating back 900 to 1000 years. Mummies found in this region have allowed for two breeds of alpacas. More precise analysis of bone and teeth of these mummies have allowed some researchers to posit that alpacas were domesticated from the Vicugna vicugna.  Other research, considering the behavioral and morphological characteristics of alpacas and their wild counter parts, seem to indicate that alpacas could find their origins in Lama guanicoe as well as Vicugna vicugna, or even a hybrid of both.

Mitochondrial DNA paints a different picture for the origins of the alpaca. mtDNA research shows that alpacas are descendants of the Vicugna vicugna, not of the Lama guanicoe. Even leading to movements for the alpaca to be reclassified to Vicugna pacos.

Breeds

Alpacas come in two breeds Suri and Huacaya. For alpacas, breeds don't represent conventional, or European classifications, for breeds. Instead of taking into account a stud book or registry, alpacas are classified by their fibers. Even back to the earliest found alpacas these distinctions in fibers can be isolated at fleece diameter at 23.6 um and 17.9 um. Presently however these fibers are more on the order of 31.2 um and 26.8 um.

Huacaya alpacas have a denser fleece than their Suri counter parts. They are also the most common kind of alpaca found, about 90% of the population. The Huacaya alpaca is thought to have originated in post-colonial Peru. This is due to their thicker fleece which makes them more suited to survive in the higher altitudes of the Andes after being pushed into the highlands of Peru when conquistadors began taking over.

Suri alpacas represent a smaller portion of the total alpaca population, around 10%, since their fleece is longer and less dense. They are thought to have been more prevalent in pre-Columbian Peru since they could be kept at a lower altitude where a thicker fleece not needed for extenuating weather conditions.

Cultural presence

Alpacas are closely tied to cultural practices for Andeans people. Prior to colonization the image of the alpaca was used in rituals and in their religious practices. Since the people in the region depended heavily on these animals for their sustenance, the alpaca was seen as a gift from Pachamama. Alpacas being used for their meat, fibers for clothing, and art, and their images in the form of conopas.

Conopas take their appearance from the Suri alpacas, with long locks flanking its sides and bangs covering the eyes, and a depression on the back. This depression is used in ritual practices, usually filled with coca leaves and fat from alpacas and lamas, to bring fertility and luck. While they’re use was prevalent before colonization, the attempts to convert the Andeans people to Catholicism lead to the acquisition of more than 3,400 conopas in Lima alone.

The origin of alpaca is depicted in legend that says they came to be in the world after a goddess fell in love with a man. The goddess’ father only allowed her to be with her lover if he cared for her herd of alpacas. On top of caring for the herd he was to always carry a small animal for his entire life. As she come into our world the alpacas followed her. Everything was fine until the man set the small animal down and the goddess fled back to her home. On her way back home, the man attempted to stop her and her herd from fleeing. While he was not able to stop her from returning he was able to stop a few alpacas from returning. These alpacas who didn’t make it back are seen today in the swampy lands in the Andes waiting for the end of world, so they may return to their goddess.

Original Article

Alpaca

What's already there:

1. Word count: 2270
2. Contents:
   • Background
   • Behavior
     • spitting, hygiene, sounds, reproduction
   • Diet
     • digestion, poisonous plants
   • History of scientific name
   • Fiber
   • Prices
   • Livestock
   • See Also, References, External Links
3. Sources: 14

Proposed to look like:

New Table of Contents:

• Background
  • include evolution and taxonomy
• Behavior
  • spitting, hygiene, sounds, reproduction, *adding possibly lifestyle
• Population and distrubution
• Habitat
• Scientific classification (build on whats already been written)
• Fiber
• Prices
• Livestock
• In culture

Splitting up the work:

each 600-900 words

Stephanie- Work on finding more information on the behavior(all those sub headings too) of alpacas and build onto what has already been written

Karimah- Researcher- habitat and population, lifestyle

Fernando- Researcher and Wikipedia expert- diet and scientific classification, evolution and taxonomy

Annotated Bibliography

Steph:

1. Bennett, Marty McGee. (2010). CAMELIDynamics: Understanding Male Behavior in the Alpaca. Alpaca Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.camelidynamics.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/HER10Undertandmalebehav.pdf.

I thought this article would be helpful for our Wikipedia project because I am writing under the topic of behavior. Although it is only a male behavior article, its a good start to begin adding more information to the Wikipedia article on alpacas.

2. Paul, Elizabeth. (2007). Alpaca Behaviour. Alpacas Australia, No. 52. Retrieved from https://www.alpacaconsultingusa.com/library/AA_AlpacaBehaviour.pdf.

This article has different breeds of alpacas and their behaviors. This can help with our behavior section because it goes into detail about some alpaca breeds and it will help me write more on the different behaviors

3. Irlbeck, N. A. (2016). Basics of Alpaca Nutrition. Retrieved November 02, 2017, from http://www.alpacaresearch.org/library/library-viewer?article_id=2503.

For this article, it has a goos amount of information that will help my colleagues and I write more in depth about nutrition and behavior.

4. Pet Partners. (December 2016). Llama- Alpaca Behavior Packet. Pet Partners, No. 2. Retrieved from https://petpartners.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Llama-Alpaca-Behavior-Packet.pdf.

I really liked this source because it went into several details on the behavior and reactions alpacas have.

5. Australian Alpaca Association. (2008). Alpaca Mating Fact Sheet, No. 2. Retrieved http://www.aaanswalpaca.com.au/pdf/AAAMatingFactSheet26Sep13A.pdf.

This is another fact sheet that includes information on reproduction. It will help me with writing on the reproduction.

6. Alpaca Communication. (2010, February 26). Retrieved November 03, 2017, from https://alpacas.wordpress.com/alpaca-communication/

This website gives me more information on the sounds alpacas make and why.

7. Dental Hygiene. (n.d.). Retrieved November 03, 2017, from http://www.alpacasbythesea.com/pages/dental.html

I got more information on alpaca hygiene but specifically their dental hygiene which I thought was very interesting.

8. Article Library. (n.d.). Retrieved November 14, 2017, from http://www.badmintonfeeds.co.uk/advice:4.htm

This is a good source because it was from a feeding association written by a professional in that field of work.

9. Irlbeck, N. A., Dr. (2016). Basics of Alpaca Nutrition. Retrieved from http://www.alpacaresearch.org/library/library-viewer?article_id=2503

This article had a good amount of information like the previous articles but was from a research library.

10. An Overview of Alpaca Diet, Nutrition & Care. (2014, December 8). Retrieved November 14, 2017, from http://ecolonomics.org/an-overview-of-alpaca-diet-nutrition-care/

For this website, it was about alpaca nutrition and it is a good source because its a good overview on what the topic is about.

11. Alpacas International Ltd. Retrieved November 14, 2017, from http://www.alpacasinternational.net/alpaca_information.htm#9

12. Lund, Kirrin E, et al. “Gradual Training of Alpacas to the Confinement of Metabolism Pens Reduces Stress When Normal Excretion Behavior Is Accommodated.” The ILAR Journal, The ILAR Journal, nas-sites.org/ilarjournal/previous-issues/neurobiology-of-addictive-behaviors/gradual-training-of-alpacas-to-the-confinement-of-metabolism-pens-reduces-stress-when-normal-excretion-behavior-is-accommodated/.

13. Alpaca - Lama pacos - Details.” Encyclopedia of Life, EOL, eol.org/pages/309015/details.

14. Mating & Pregnancy.” The Alpaca Place, The Alpaca Place, www.thealpacaplace.co.nz/articles/breeding-and-reproduction/mating-pregnancy/.

15. Castillo-Ruiz, Alexandra. “Lama pacos (Alpaca).” Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan, animaldiversity.org/accounts/Lama_pacos/.

Fernando

1.    Merrell, J., & Merrell, S. (2017). The ancient history of alpacas. Retrieved from http://www.gatewayalpacas.com/alpacas/history-of-alpacas/alpacas-history.htm

Provides historical context for the history of domestication and pre-Colombian alpacas

2.    Merrell, J., & Merrell, S. (2017). Andean camelids. Retrieved from http://www.gatewayalpacas.com/alpacas/history-of-alpacas/andean-camelids.htm

Physical description and taxonomy of alpacas and other camelids

3.    Merrell, J., & Merrell, S. (2017). Conopas. Retrieved from http://www.gatewayalpacas.com/alpacas/history-of-alpacas/conopas.htm

Descriptions of religious iconography of alpacas for indigenous peoples of ancient Andean peoples

4.    Merrell, J., & Merrell, S. (2017). Huacaya alpacas. Retrieved from http://www.gatewayalpacas.com/alpacas/the-breed/huacaya.htm

Information about the Huacaya breed of alpacas

5.    Merrell, J., & Merrell, S. (2017). Prehistoric camelids. Retrieved from http://www.gatewayalpacas.com/alpacas/history-of-alpacas/prehistory.htm

Prehistoric information about the ancestors of modern day camelids

6.    Merrell, J., & Merrell, S. (2017). Suri alpacas. Retrieved from http://www.gatewayalpacas.com/alpacas/the-breed/huacaya.htm

Information about the Suri breed of alpacas

7.    Reyna, J. (2005, July 2005). The origin and evolution of the south american camelids. New Zealand Alpaca Association Magazine, 3, 25-29.

Archaeozoological analysis of the modern day camelids. Historical account of how they arrived in the americas

8.    Vaughan, J. L. (2001). Control of ovarian follicular growth in alpaca, lama pacos. (Unpublished PhD). Central Queensland University, Queensland.

Evolutionary information found in the top portion of this thesis, the rest is too nuanced for including in the Wikipedia article

9.    Wheeler, J. (2003). Evolition and origin of the domesttic camelids. IRL Report, 8(2)

More evolutionary information and explanation of how the alpaca, and other camelids come to be.

10.  Wheeler, J. (2012). South american camelids - past, present and future.  Journal of Camelid Science,  5, 1-24.

History of alpacas and other camelids in South America 

Karimah:

The Alpaca  Vicugna pacos Loveable pet or delicious dish? (n.d.). Retrieved November 01, 2017. http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2012/sanderfo_ange/habitat.htm

I chose this website because it is a credible source since it is ending in edu. I am writing about the habitat of alpacas and this site gives me a good amount of information to start off my topic.

Castillo-Ruiz, A. (n.d.). Lama pacos (alpaca). Retrieved November 01, 2017. http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Lama_pacos/.

This site has tons of information that will be beneficial to everyone in the group.

Alpaca. (2017, September 26). Retrieved November 01, 2017. https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/alpaca.

This site has a good amount of information on the reproduction and development of alpacas.

Alpaca – Vicugna pacos. (n.d.). Retrieved November 01, 2017. http://www.facts-about.info/alpaca/.

Alpacas are originally from peru, However they can be found almost anywhere in South America. Alpacas typically live in warmer and wet areas but since people take them in as pets they tend to adjust to any climate.

.

Instructions Draft:

Introduction:

So far, we have analyzed a couple articles that fit into our genre study. Each of these articles have different information but they all have the same style and formatting. The articles I chose were on animals, but specifically, mammals. When looking at an article, it is a good idea to look for the following criteria: lead section, how it well it was written, the subject matter and its details, neutral point of view, the research or citations, any media, and the overall length.

Content:

The content for an article on a specific mammal should contain basic information but also some extra information that keeps the reader intrigued. For animals, having information on its classification, origin, history, habitat, taxonomy and physical characteristics are considered to be the basic information. The content should never leave out any major facts so the article can have all the pieces of information the reader may want. Some more information to add into the article about mammals would be the eating habits, diets, any hunting information, and if there is an issue with extinction then it would be written in the article as well. When writing a lead section, its important to include these basic facts because that is the first part of the article that people will view. Depending on how much is written on the article, determines the length of the lead section but it is usually between one to three paragraphs. Lead sections for writing an animal article should include where they are found, their physical appearance for example size and weight, and then give explanation or reinforcement that the article is notable. Another important instruction to keep in mind, is that the article and lead should be written in a neutral point of view, meaning that being biased should not be shown anywhere. After the lead section, the article begins with more explanation and detail of what was said in the lead. Articles should be divided in sections to keep it organized and help the reader navigate through the reading easily. One example, in the Polar Bear article on Wikipedia, it has about 9 sections but also has sub sections in each main section which helps with clarifying and giving more detail. After writing each paragraph or maybe every two paragraphs, make sure to do a spell and grammar check to make sure everything is flowing correctly.

Citations:

The best way to write a good article is to research and understand the information or facts you are going to write about. After you have researched, you need to make sure you have cited everything because if not, it could affect Wikipedia itself and your article loses its credibility. Citations are very important on Wikipedia. Anything that gets published on Wikipedia has to have reliable, published sources. There are several ways to cite but the main ones are typical citations that go in the bibliography, in text citations, and reference sources which can be a long list. The sources used for animal articles would consist of mainly books or magazines on the animal of choice. Books are very reliable sources especially for an article on an animal because animals are such a broad topic that there is so much information already on them. Magazines can help with current information on the animals and their living situations. Magazines can also include data that can help with giving more information to the article. Also, when placing pictures on the article, make sure to cite them all. In the articles I looked at, they had sources that were just picture books and it helped with finding pictures to place in the article.

Length:

The length of the article should depend if the animal is known or not. For example, the article on New Forest Pony, is very short compared to the Polar Bear article because not much is known about that specific animal. As long as an article contains the information without going into unnecessary detail then it can be any length. To have an exact number of how many words you need, it depends on what the article is about. If it is a new or unknown animal, it will most likely have between 1000-3000 words but if it is a known animal and there is a lot of research on it then it could consist of 7000-10,000 words.

Design Elements:

Design elements are crucial to getting the reader to want to keep reading. This includes using info boxes, which should be pictured specifically next to the lead section or also anywhere else needed in the article. An info box for an article on an animal should contain basic facts like the origins, characteristics, scientific classification, and a picture. It all depends on the animal though, because different animals may have more information that can be used in those info boxes. It is also smart to place in pictures and videos. Using pictures can help give the article more life and using videos can help with giving the reader something to view in case they need to understand something a little bit more.

Lead Section: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berm

A berm is a level space, shelf, or raised barrier separating two areas. It can serve as a border barrier. The word berm originates in the Middle Dutch and German berme and came into usage in English via French.

A berm is a level space, shelf, or raised barrier separating two areas. It can serve as a border barrier or to be used as a separation barrier. An example can be the Great Wall of China. The word berm originates in the Middle Dutch and German berme and came into usage in English via French.. A berm would be used as defense from the enemies or from intruders. It is a wall or a strip that can be used in many different ways to act as a blockade. Another one of its uses is to control erosion and reduce the water velocity on soil. In a modern sense, a berm can also be used on a highway as a noise barrier. Overall, it is used as some kind of barrier to prevent certain aspects from entering depending on where it is. It is used to control certain situations, for example from an oil spill, the barrier can help clean up.