05/12/08

The Alpaca is a member of the South American camelid family, which includes the Llama, the Vicuna and the Guanaco. Among its more distant relatives are the African Dromedary camel and the Asian Bactrian Camel.  There are two types of Alpaca: the Huacaya and the Suri Alpaca. The Huacaya, totaling perhaps 90 percent of the existing world population, is the most common and produces a fleece that has a crimp or wavy quality. The Suri produces a more lustrous fine fiber that has no crimp. The Huacaya comes in a great variety of black, grey, brown, beige, white colors and shades. The lifespan of the alpaca is about 20 years and gestation is 11.5 months. Alpacas eat grasses and chew a cud. Adult alpacas are about 36" tall at the withers and generally weigh between 100 and 200 pounds. They are gentle and easy to handle. Alpacas don't have incisors, horns, hooves or claws.
Alpacas were a cherished treasure of the ancient Incan civilization and played a central role in the Incan culture that was located on the high Andean Plateau and mountains of South America. Alpacas were first imported to the United States in 1984. Alpacas are now being successfully raised and enjoyed throughout North America and abroad.

Alpacas produce one of the world's finest and most luxurious natural fibers. It is clipped from the animal without causing it injury. Soft as cashmere and warmer, lighter and stronger than wool, it comes in more colors than any other fiber producing animal (approximately 22 basic colors with many variations and blends).This cashmere-like fleece, once reserved for Incan royalty, is now enjoyed by spinners and weavers around the world.

Stoneboat Farm Camelids raises Full Peruvian Huacaya and Suri Alpacas.