What is a suri vs. huacaya alpaca?
The Suri alpaca is distinguished from the huacaya alpaca by its fiber. The fiber grows parallel to the body in long, separate, not-crimped locks, like dread-locks. Suri fiber has excellent luster, a slick had, and extreme softness. Suri alpacas are rare, about 10% of the worlds (and Americas) population. The suri characteristics are a dominant gene, and some suris have a recessive huacaya gene in their genetic pool that is not outwardly seen (Ss). If that suri is bred to another (Ss) suri, there is a 25% chance that a huacaya alpaca (ss) will result. At this time there is no way to test for the recessive huacaya gene. The Huacaya alpaca is characterized by a fiber that is dense, crimpy, and fine in appearance. This abundant coverage gives the huacaya a soft and cuddly look and explains the overwhelming popularity the huacaya enjoys worldwide. 90% of the world population consists of Huacaya alpacas, making them a very wise investment.
