The Alpaca (Vicugna Pacos)

The Alpaca (Vicugna pacos) is a domesticated South American camelid species whose wild ancestor is the vicuña. Alpacas are raised in the highlands of Peru, Bolivia and Chile. More than 80% of the world’s alpaca population can be found in southern Peru, northwest of the Titicaca lake at 3,700-5,000 mt of altitude. The alpaca is a symbol of Peruvian national identity. It is calculated that more than 120,000 families live directly from the alpaca as their main income and subsistence, and indirectly 3 times more than this figure. 85% of the alpacas are run by smallholders with less than 50 animals each, or are kept in farmer communities. Alpacas are particularly prized for their fiber which is noted for its fineness, softness, light weight, exceptional
The soft touch is related to the fineness of the fiber but also to the arrangement of the scales along the fiber.“Baby” alpaca fiber diameter averages 22mic and alpaca “fleece” averages 26 mic. Both types of fiber make up 50% of the total clip; the rest is considered inferior with coarser fiber diameter. The traditional use of alpacahas been in the apparel clothing industry foremen. Twenty three alpaca colors are recognized but most (in Peru 86%) of the alpacas are white, the rest ranging from cream to black. An adult alpaca produces 1.5-2.8 kg of fiber per year, enough to make four sweaters. Two alpaca breeds are recognized, huacaya and suri. The former breed produces a spongy type of fleece with fibers growing perpendicular to the skin. The latter have a fleece with long rolling staples hanging parallel to the skin with more lustrous and silkier fibers. In general suris are more demanded and can be found at lower altitudes than huacayas, therefore sharing grazing land with sheep and cattle. About 90% of alpacas are of the huacaya
Both, llamas and guanacos are larger animals than alpacas and vicuñas, therefore more meaty. Most llamas in South America are found in Bolivia and Peru. Bolivia has the largest llama population, about 2.4 million, largely on the high-plateau (Altiplano) at 4000 mt of altitude in the western of the country. Peru with 1.2 million llamas is the second producer, while Argentina ranks third. It is estimated that in Bolivia there are 54,000 producers, 80% having less than 90 llamas each (José Campero Marañón 2007, personal communication). Llamas are multipurpose animals; they are raised for their meat, power and fiber. As with alpacas, there is a strong cultural tie between llamas and their producers and communities. In many cases llama products are crucial for the subsistence of a community. (Rodríguez and Quispe, 2007). The fiber produced by llamas is not as fine as that of the alpacas. In Bolivia adult llamas produce fiber with an average diameter of 33 mic, but the fiber is greasy free and may yield up to 93% of its original weight when processed. Llama fiber is extensively used for clothing and handcrafts. Due to its multiple breeding objectives, llamas were selected for high body weight and fleece weight (1.5-3.5kg) but less for fiber traits such as fineness and uniformity of color. Therefore the pressure to select for white color has been less and llama coat