The Mist Alpacas

An alpaca (Vicugna pacos) is a domesticated species of South American camelid. It resembles a small llama in appearance.

There are two breeds of alpaca; the Suri alpaca and the Huacaya alpaca.

Alpacas are kept in herds that graze on the level heights of the Andes of southern Peru, northern Bolivia, Ecuador, and northern Chile at an altitude of 3,500 m (11,500 ft) to 5,000 m (16,000 ft) above sea level, throughout the year.[1] Alpacas are considerably smaller than llamas, and unlike llamas, they were not bred to be beasts of burden, but were bred specifically for their fiber. Alpaca fiber is used for making knitted and woven items, similar to wool. These items include blankets, sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves, a wide variety of textiles and ponchos in South America, and sweaters, socks, coats and bedding in other parts of the world. The fiber comes in more than 52 natural colors as classified in Peru, 12 as classified in Australia and 16 as classified in the United States.

In the textile industry, "alpaca" primarily refers to the hair of Peruvian alpacas, but more broadly it refers to a style of fabric originally made from alpaca hair, but now often made from similar fibers, such as mohair, Icelandic sheep wool, or even high-quality English wool. In trade, distinctions are made between alpacas and the several styles of mohair and luster.

An adult alpaca generally is between 81 and 99 cm in height at the withers. They usually weigh between 48 and 84 kg (106 and 185 lbs).

Pronounced wua'ki'ya, this is the most common alpaca type in both South America and Australia.

The Huacaya has a soft bonnet of fibre on the forehead and its cheeks boast 'mutton chops' whilst the dense body fibre grows straight out from the body, not unlike Merino fleece. Ideally, fleece coverage is even and extends down the legs. Its fleece should show a uniform crimp along the length of the staple

As a type, the suri (soo'ree) is very much less common than the huacaya, and in Australia only a small percentage of alpacas are suris.

This alpaca has fleece with a strongly defined lock. The suri is covered in long, pencil fine locks, not unlike dreadlocks, that hang straight down from the body. The fleece has lustre and its feel is more slippery and silky than that of the huacaya. The predominant suri colours are white or light fawn.

Suri numbers continue to grow in Australia, and like the huacaya, the suri responds well to our gentler climate and husbandry practices.