CAMELIDS
Alpacas, llamas, guanacos and vicunas are part of the camel (camelid)
family tree. Treasured by the ancient Inca civilization, there are today
about 2.5 million alpacas in the Andean Altiplano region of Peru, Chile
and Bolivia. Camelids are a modified ruminant, not only eating less grass
than most other animals but converting it to energy very efficiently.
Unlike the true ruminant they have three compartments to their stomach
not four. It is for these reasons that camelids can survive in areas that
would otherwise be unsuitable for other domesticated animals.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LLAMAS & ALPACAS
Llamas are “beasts of burden”. They are used for
carrying loads on their backsides in special packs, like the Dromedary
and Bactrian camels. They have been used for this a very long time. It
could be that because of this practice llamas are relatively easy to train,
it is bred into them and it is likely that stroppy ones were not bred
from, but for the “pot”. Although not seen as a fibre producer,
llama fibre is used a lot in South America. They have a very soft undercoat,
with stronger fibre on the outside. Some llamas are very coarse, others
can be silky and lustrous.
Without fences between the Altiplano countries, and fencing in general,
breeding between llamas and alpacas was not prevented, resulting in a
cross breed called huarizo (sire llama, dam alpaca) or mistis (sire alpaca,
dam llama). Neither are desirable, as they are not good for fibre and
cannot carry the load of a llama.
ALPACAS
Alpacas are thought to have evolved from the wild guanaco and are generally
smaller than the llama standing at just under a metre at the shoulder.
They produce a wonderful, heavy fleece of fine strong fibre that comes
in 22 basic colours including whites, fawns, browns, blacks and greys.
A fully fleeced alpaca with good coverage around the face and legs is
an extremely beautiful and captivating animal and a good reason why so
many farmers and lifestyle block holders have entered the industry. Alpacas are easy to handle and make delightful companions.
Alpaca fibre is world renowned for its soft handle and lustre and is often
compared to fine merino and cashmere.
There are two types of alpacas:
HUACAYAS
The huacaya accounts for over 97% of the world’s alpaca population
and is characterized by a thick dense fleece growing perpendicularly from
the body. Good huacaya fibre has a soft handle, brightness of sheen and
frequently has a defined crimp throughout the blanket area. Not all huacayas
have these qualities.
SURIS
The rare and prized suri is distinguished by its long silky fibre that
grows parallel to the body and hangs in long, separate, distinctive pencil
locks. Its softness and exquisite luster ensures a premium price on the
world fibre market. The world population of suris is calculated at being
just over 150,000 animals.
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