Miracle in Puno: Female Alpaca Lays an Egg

An Easter miracle came early on March 20, 2021, near Lake Titicaca. Farmer Ricardo Rodriguez, from the province of Puno, noticed unusual behavior with one of his alpacas, only to later witness the animal lay a sizable egg.

Surprised, to say the least, Rodriguez recounts how the alpaca hovered over the egg to keep it warm. Rodriguez stated that there were no other eggs nearby.

The egg is 18 cm long and 14 cm wide and weighs 1.6 kg. Peru’s Ministry of Agriculture along with professor Dr. John Hanson, from Harvard University, have confirmed the discovery with Andina to be the first recorded alpaca egg in recent history. The egg is currently being analyzed by Dr. Hanson and his team in Puno where they will record the hatching process, which may take several weeks.

Not much is known about the rare bearing of alpaca eggs, though such a phenomenon has been seen over centuries. Alpaca eggs have been depicted on Pre-Colombian ceramic art, like on Nazca and Mochica ceramics, and accounted for in Spanish chronicles in the 16th century.

With this current discovery and advanced technology, more will be known about this rare occurrence in the upcoming months. The alpaca, Maria, is well in health.

Sign up for our newsletter for the latest updates, and Happy April Fools! This story was published on April 1 as a joke, alpaca don’t lay eggs.

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Alpaca April Fool's Puno