Suri alpaca is one of two breeds of the

alpaca The alpaca (''Lama pacos'') is a species of South American camelid mammal. It is similar to, and often confused with, the llama. However, alpacas are often noticeably smaller than llamas. The two animals are closely related and can successfu ...

, the other being the

Huacaya Huacaya is the one of the two breeds that make up the species ''Lama pacos'', commonly known as the alpaca (the other breed is the Suri). It lives on the Altiplano in the Andes, up to above sea level. Its natural range encompasses four South Am ...

. Of 3.7 million alpacas worldwide, less than 10% are thought to be of the Suri breed. One study found that Suri alpacas could be reliably distinguished from Huacayas by looking for a low frequency of hairs less than 35 micrometers in diameter, as well as fewer hairs with more than eight

cuticular A cuticle (), or cuticula, is any of a variety of tough but flexible, non-mineral outer coverings of an organism, or parts of an organism, that provide protection. Various types of "cuticle" are non- homologous, differing in their origin, structu ...

scales. Suri alpacas may be bred for the lustre of their coats.

References

Alpacas Livestock {{Livestock-stub Mammals of Peru Mammals of the Andes Mammal breeds originating from Indigenous Americans