What is a huacaya alpaca?
The huacaya alpaca is characterized by a fiber that is dense, crimped, and wooly in appearance. This abundant coverage gives the huacaya a soft and huggable look and explains the overwhelming popularity the huacaya enjoys worldwide. Ninety percent of the North American alpaca herd consists of huacayas, and this plurality will remain virtually unchanged in the decades that lie ahead. Like the suri, the huacaya is a hardy and healthy animal that produces a fine and highly-prized fiber. The new and burgeoning alpaca fiber movement will be literally built on the backs of these plush and puffy little “teddy bears.