Fiber

Forty alpaca kids, comprising 20 huacaya and 20 suri, and 20 llama “chaku” (or woolly type), were chosen for a comparative investigation of the fiber and cuticular attributes based on fiber diameter, number of cuticular scales per 100 µm of fiber length, and scale height. Out of the three parameters investigated, the number of cuticular scales proved to be a valid diagnostic trait in distinguishing suri fleece from both huacaya and llama fleeces. A further characterization of the suri fleece was obtained by considering the frequency distribution of both fiber diameter and number of cuticular scale classes. The suri fleece was clearly different from both the huacaya and llama in that it possessed the highest percentage of fibers with less than eight scales, the lowest percentage of fibers with more than nine scales, along with the lowest percentage of fibers with a diameter of more than 35 µm. The validity of these classification criteria was fully supported by a classification discriminant analysis based on the jointed investigation of the data related to scale and diameter frequency classes, whose output was a 100% correct classification of the suri specimens along with an 85.7% and 71.4% of cases correctly classified in huacaya and llama, respectively. more »

Crimp is related to the fibers as they appear in an intact lock. Its measured in waviness per unit of length. The prevailing theory is the greater the crimp, the finer the fleece. Cameron pointed out this isn't always the case, however. Many Peruvian alpacas have recently been examined that have little or no crimp, but very fine fleeces. more »

In order to make informed decisions on selecting quality foundation herd animals with desirable fiber characteristics, the new alpaca breeder must understand basic fiber anatomy and physiology. This section provides information that will help you understand the differences between suri and huacaya fiber and what makes a good fiber producing alpaca. more »

Covers a brief history of alpaca fleece, its structure, how to evaluate it on the alpaca, and how to care and prepare it. more »

This study sought to define the ranges of quality attributes of domestically-produced huacaya alpaca fiber using internationally accepted methods to objectively measure most of the important fiber characteristics. more »