The segregation of suri and huacaya fleece types in alpacas in the United States deviates from that expected from results of previously published studies from other regions. Suri × suri matings produced 278 huacaya and 1702 suri offspring. Suri × huacaya matings produced 89 huacaya and 56 suri offspring. Huacaya × huacaya matings produced 19,633 huacaya and 4 suri offspring. No linkage or other influence of sex was noted. These results are consistent with a single autosomal dominant gene controlling suri fleece production, with an additional relatively common genetic mechanism that can suppress the suri phenotype in some animals. These results are especially important in cases where the two fleece types are crossed with one another, as they result in a relative underproduction of suri fleeces.
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