Suri alpacas constitute 20% of the alpaca population. Their rarity is thought to be associated with the fact that their fleece would not have provided sufficient insulation in the South American mountain climates, rendering the animal less hardy. The Australian Suri heard is made up of around 5,400 animals. Recent years have seen many breeders experiment with a Suri Huacaya cross in order to increase the number of Suris in Australia.
Suri alpacas are distinguished from Huacaya alpacas by the character of their fleece. Suri fleece grows parallel to the body of the alpacas and appears in long, separate locks. It is somewhat silky and pencil-like, and although it appears to resemble dreadlocks sometimes, the fibres are not actually matted. Suris typically have less medullation than Huacayas.
Suri fibre is considered to have the ‘softness of cashmere, lustre of silk, warmth and featherweight of goosedown and the durability of wool.' It generally grows at rates of 10 - 16 cm each year. Locking and fineness should be uniform across the entire body.
Suri fibre is high in lustre and extremely soft. It is in popular demand for men's and women's designer clothing, luxury apparel and specialty interior fabrics. A large majority of Suri fibre is being sold to countries including the United States, Japan and Europe, in particular Italy. It is marketed as an exclusive, rare and luxury fibre.
Suri alpacas possess similar conformation traits to those of Huacaya alpacas .
