What Are Suri Alpacas?

Suri alpacas are distinguished in the camelid family by their unique fibre. The fibre grows parallel to the body and hangs in long, separate, distinctive locks. This style enhances the graceful appearance of the animal compared to the soft, woolly look of huacaya alpacas.

Suri locks, made up of high-lustre fibre, drape down the sides of the body in a twisted or flat form of various size. Suri fibre has a slick, cool, soft feel. Suri fibre is in demand and consistently brings a premium price in the fibre market. Suri alpacas show extraordinary vigour, intelligence, ease of breeding, and adaptability to hot and cold climates. These attributes rank high on the list of many reasons for treasuring Suri alpacas.

It is known from archaeological records that alpacas have been domesticated for 6000 years. Early depictions of Suri alpacas dating from between 5,000 and 20,000 years ago can only be found on the western slopes of the Andes mountains in Peru. The Suri appears as a distinct breed in pre-Colonial textiles, pottery, and jewellery.

Suri alpacas were first brought to the United Kingdom at the end of the 1990s. Importations have brought Suri from Bolivia, Chile, Peru and, more recently, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, giving breeders a great variety of genetic material.

RAREST OF BREEDS, ULTIMATE NATURAL FIBRE