Peruvian alpaca. The key to breeding is the highest quality alpaca pups. Known for its soft, lightweight and durable qualities, alpaca cubs are the first shears of an adult alpaca. This fiber is unique not only in its long history, but also in its environment and soft, silky feel.
Native to the Peruvian Andes, alpacas graze at altitudes of 10,000–14,000 feet. It is in the structure of each ultra-thin fiber that we find the answer to why the coveted alpaca is so popular in the textile world.
Due to extreme temperature variations at high altitudes, these fibers form a thermal character that keeps alpacas warm when active, temperatures below freezing at night, and cool and ventilated under clear skies during the day. This fiber gradually evolves to contain a tiny hollow area that retains heat and makes it light and soft.
The Inca ruins show that the alpaca artifacts are intact, proving the strength and durability of the alpaca fibers.
Unlike other natural fibers, shiny baby alpacas are free of lanolin and oil, making it a dream for those with sensitive skin. Alpaca fiber has a seductive silky luster, is soft and durable, and is less likely to pill or wrinkle due to its natural long fiber structure.
But just as the collapse of the housing market and the glut of cheap housing have led to a new group of investors buying cheap and hoping to eventually sell at a reasonable price, the bursting of the alpaca bubble has also made those who get their animals through rescue operations or low-priced sales an unlikely farmer.
Another difference between an alpaca and a llama is that its body is round, not square, and its habit is to hold its tail close to its body rather than standing upright like a llama. The fluffy fur of the alpaca varies in color, from the usual black or brown to lighter grey and tan, to pale yellow and occasionally white.
From southern Colombia and southern Ecuador to northern Chile and northern Argentina, alpacas inhabit the marshy mountains. They have slender bodies, long necks, long legs, short tails, small heads, and large, pointed ears.