Alpacas

Alpaca production centres on fibre, shorn annually and graded by fineness and colour, with the animals themselves classed into two main fleece types. Traditional Andean production remains central to global supply and to the livelihoods of highland herding communities, while newer alpaca sectors in other countries typically serve specialty fibre and breeding-stock markets.

Huacaya

The more common type, with a dense, crimped fleece giving a fluffy appearance.

Suri

Less common, with long, lustrous, non-crimped locks that hang close to the body.

Alpacas are closely related to, but distinct from, llamas, vicuñas, and guanacos, the other South American camelid species; alpacas are bred primarily for fine fibre rather than pack or draught use.

Alpacas are efficient grazers adapted to sparse, high-altitude forage, and in managed pasture systems outside their native range they generally do well on grass pasture and hay, often requiring less feed per animal than sheep or cattle of comparable size. Supplementary feeding, such as alfalfa hay or mineral supplements, is used where pasture quality or mineral content is inadequate for fleece growth and body condition.

Alpaca health and welfare depend on appropriate nutrition, shelter from heat and extreme weather (fleece can predispose animals to heat stress), routine toenail and dental care, and management of parasites and diseases relevant to camelids.

Alpaca herding supports livelihoods on Andean rangelands that are often unsuited to cropping because of altitude and climate, while careful stocking is important on these fragile high-altitude grasslands to limit overgrazing and erosion. Outside South America, alpacas are increasingly kept in mixed small-farm settings alongside sheep and goats as a specialty fibre enterprise.