Alpaca

I went to an alpaca farm today. This is one of the cute little buggers chomping on some hay.

They are breed for their luxury fleece. If I am remembering correctly, I think he said that the fleece sells for about $60 per pound. The llama, which many people confuse them with, is twice the size, is bred as a pack animal and has coarse hair. Not good quality for weaving compared to the alpaca.

The fleece of the alpaca is so dense that the animals could not remain healthy in the heat of the summer with their fleeces unshorn. The alpacas on this farm will be shorn in April.

The alpaca was bred by the Incas out of a Vicuna ancestor, the llama was bred by the Incas from a Guanaco ancestor. All four of these animals are members of the camel family, but the rare and endangered Vicuna is famous as the animal with the finest fleece in the world.

The farmer was annoying. We were inside the pen with the males and he kept moving into my line of sight blocking my shots. I finally got this fellow outside the pen by himself with no one else around.