CHAPTER 1
Introducing Llamas and Alpacas
This chapter will briefly describe the origins of the domesticated South American camelids (i.e. llamas and alpacas) and the purposes of their domestication, and indicate some important differences between them and other domesticated animals in the UK.
Llamas and alpacas belong to a group of animals known as the South American camelids, which are descended from an ancient camel-like ancestor that migrated to the Americas millions of years ago. (The term camelid derives from their scientific family name, Camilidae.) Other camelids include the dromedary and bactrian camels. The American camelids subsequently died out in the northern part of the continent, but in the south they were domesticated by the Incas, and they formed the basis of the Inca economy. They were used for meat, fleece, hides, leather, tools and fuel, and as pack animals. The harsh environment of the Andes makes each of these resources truly a matter of life and death, and an animal that could thrive there was essential to human survival. When the Spaniards conquered the Inca, they seemed to make a particular campaign of attempting to exterminate llamas and alpacas. This has given rise to the idea that the Spanish may have seen such a strategy as a way of fatally weakening the much more numerous Inca.
It is generally accepted that llamas (Lama glama) were domesticated from the larger of the two wild camelids, the guanaco (Lama guanicoe), and that alpacas (Vicugna pacos) derived from the smaller, shyer, rarer vicuna (Vicugna vicugna). However, genetic studies have indicated that there has been crossbreeding in the past (possibly as a result of the disruption caused by the Spanish conquest) and all four species are capable of interbreeding and producing fertile crosses. There are no wild llamas or alpacas: they exist only as domesticated animals. There is in South America a large number of llama/alpaca-cross individuals, which are called huarizos or mistis. There are also wild populations of guanaco and vicuna. The guanaco is found extensively in South America, but the vicuna is endangered and protected. It lives in limited ranges in harsh conditions at high altitude.
LLAMAS
These are the largest of the four South American camelids, and can weigh from 110–250kg (250–550lb) and stand 102–119cm (40–47in) at the shoulder. They can be many different colours, and also a mixture of colours. There are several physical types, but their characteristics can overlap, so in a sense they are not true ‘breeds’. In South America they are distinguished by whether the neck and head is woolly or fairly bare, and on the length and cover of the rest of their fibre. The woolly necked types are collectively known as tampuli, and can be further subdivided into lanuda and tapada. The lanuda is woolly on the ears and head, and further down the legs. The barer-necked ones are the short-coated ccara (or ‘classic’, although these are actually numerically rarer in South America) and curaca, with a medium coat. The barer-necked llamas tend to moult to a close-cropped level of fleece. The reason for these different forms is that there is a number of different jobs for the animal to do. Pack animals will cope better with exertion if their coats are not too heavy and thick, but because the Incas made everything from ropes and bags to upholstery and clothing from fibre, some heavily fibred animals with a range of fibre types were also needed. In addition, there is considerable variation of climate, and different fleece types allow the animals to cope best with their local weather conditions.
ALPACAS
These are much smaller than llamas, weighing in at between 55 and 90kg (121 and 200lb) and reaching only 76–96cm (30–38in) at the shoulder. Twenty-two different shades of solid colour are recognized, allowing a wide range of fabric colours to be produced from the undyed fleece. There are two basic breeds, classified by fleece character: the huacaya, which has a sheep-like woolliness, and the suri, whose fleece hangs in long spiral locks. This is a true-breeding genetic difference, with the suri gene being dominant: a first cross should look like a suri, but, if crossed again with a huacaya, the result will be a 50:50 mixture of suri-looking offspring and huacaya offspring
Alpacas are the major fibre-producer. Note that it’s ‘not done’ to call it wool. This is not merely snobbery, since the microscopic structure of the fibre is indeed different, with the...