There are two types of alpacas: suri and huacaya. They have different characteristics, and here’s an intro to the suri.

The primary identifier is the fibre. Suri alpacas have fine, sikly and lustrous fibre which hangs down like dreadlocks (or old-school mops, if I wanted to be uncharitable). These characteristics mean that suris are at the premium end of the alpaca fibre market. Often their wool is blended as it lacks the inherant strength of other wools.

Whilst getting reliable figures is difficult, it’s fair to say suri alpacas are much rarer than huacayas; I’ve seen suris accounting for around 3-10% of the total worldwide alpaca population. I’ve also heard breeders say that they are more temperamental than huacayas, though I would be interested in finding out more (here’s an article which mentions suris are more ‘flighty and nervous’ (PDF)). Certainly, they’re less hardy creatures as their fibre doesn’t provide the same levels of insulation as the altogether puffier huacayas.

You’ve got to admit though – they look oh-so funky and are amongst the only camelids you could call ‘distinguished’.

Original photo on Flickr.

Posted by Anthony.