For Pure Alpacas Nashville Is The Way To Go

By Joshua Mitchell


Alpacas are part of the South American camelid species of animals. They largely occur in domesticated settings. They thrive at heights of 3.5-5.0 km above sea level. Southern Peru, northern Chile, northern Bolivia, and Ecuador are the main places they occur in large numbers. Earliest records of their existence indicate that they were domesticated as early as a millennium ago. In the Inca Empire, they were a show of wealth of the owners. For a deeper understating of alpacas Nashville should be one of the locations to prioritize.

The invasion of Inca Empire by the Spanish forced the inhabitants to move to the heights of the Andes to seek refuge. They took with them some of their animals, making them avoid extinction. The global alpaca population is very high, reaching 3.5 million currently. Regardless of the rich history the animal has, it is still not known in many part of the world. Its introduction into the US only occurred in 1983.

However, the animals continue to receive a lot of attention from the international community, with thousands of them being shipped to many major country. An alpaca is very close in appearance to a small llama. Breeders who bred the alpaca did so for the purpose of benefiting from its fine fiber. As such, they were not and are not currently used a beasts of burden, especially given that they are relatively small in size.

Physically, an alpaca has a shaggy neck and the face resembles that of a camel. They do not have humps like camels. The lips are thick, nose are pronounced, and the ears are long. Their eyes are large and they seem very curious. Those that are domesticated are usually gentle, friendly, and curious.

The hair that is provided by an alpaca is not called wool or fur, but it is referred to as either fleece of fiber. The color of fleece varies widely in color. So far, there are 22 different natural colors in existence. Some among the common colors are black, silver, fawn, mahogany brown, champagne, rose gray, and white. Some breeders breed for certain colors. Two major types of alpacas are in existence, that is, huacayas and suris. The classification is done based on fiber type.

The fleece from the huacaya breed is water-resistant, crimped, dense, and wooly. Huacayas make up over ninety percent of the entire population in North America. On the contrary, the suri type has fine and lustrous fleece, which grows parallel to the body. The fleece grows into separate locks. Suri types account for less than ten percent in the US.

Hundreds of alpacas were imported into the US from Peru in the mid-1980s and currently they exist as a premier livestock. High standards and purity are maintained by the national Alpaca registry, which was formed specifically for that purpose. All imports from South America are currently closed. The US wants to raise standards to the highest degree and all animals born within the US are blood-typed.

Alpaca fiber has several uses. It is used to make woven and knitted items just like wool. Some of the items it is used to make include scarves, gloves, hats, blankets, sweaters, socks, coats, and bedding among others.




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