The big guys...

Alpacas are bred purely for their fleece. They are not pack animals like llamas and therefore are much smaller. Still...the herdsires of the Alpaca Bella Suri Farm looked pretty big out in the field...

...a beautiful Suri Alpaca herdsire stands tall in the field.

Alpacas are ruminants like cows, therefore, they eat grass and forage in pastures. They eat only the blades of grass and don't tear it up by the roots.

...these two males don't really qualify as cute! They are handsome...and sweet too, but not quite as sweet as the females and crias. Your teeth are definitely safe from cavities with this post!

...another post in the A Week of Alpacas series.

Alpacapaloosa

...I know I'm going a little crazy with the alpaca photos, but I can't help it. I played around at Bill Vonderhaar's Alpaca Bella Suri Farm (located in Morrow, Ohio) for over 2.5 hours, and every alpaca there was photogenic!

Look at this wooly little face! Can you tell this is the other type of alpaca, a Huacaya Alpaca (check out the first alpaca post for a description of the two types of alpacas).

Teddybear face...

...one baby (cria) Suri Alpaca nuzzling up to another.

(The babies were so affectionate...to each other and to me too!)

...sweeeeeeeeet!

(A friend emailed me that with all of the recent "sweet" baby alpaca photos my blog needs to carry a "May Induce Diabetes" warning......hey!)

...hmmmm...she might be right!

...did you know alpacas don't have upper teeth? They just have a lower set of choppers, so they can't really bite you. Plus, in the 2.5 hours I was around them, not one (in over 30 alpacas) spit at me, so either Bill's alpacas are exceptionally polite, or llamas are bigger "spitters" than alpacas...

...a beautiful and soft muzzle. The alpacas were quick to come in close for a muzzle nuzzle...

...with such a smoky, smoldering look in her eyes, I think this one is headed for Hollywood...

...I can't get enough of an alpaca's profile.

With all the beautiful colors showing in alpaca fleece, there's really no need to dye the fiber. I had a lot of people write me about how they love knitting with alpaca yarn. It's soft and lightweight...and very warm too. Alpaca fleece does not have lanolin in it like lamb's wool does, so it's not waterproof, but a lot of people are allergic to lanolin, so alpaca fiber is considered hypoallergenic.

...another post in the A Week of Alpacas series...

More Suri Alpacas...

This mama and baby Suri Alpaca were so beautiful together. I couldn't help but put a little time into photographing the two...

...a mama and cria Suri Alpaca.

...the mama is newly sheared. Her fleece will be made into very fine yarn.

...another alpaca came up behind me and nuzzled my cheek. Her little snout was so soft. She was incredibly gentle.

The baby had to check out my camera bag...

A little about the history of alpacas...

Archeological evidence shows alpacas were domesticated for their fiber over 6,000 years ago by the Quechua Indians of Peru in South America. Breeding standards under the Incan Empire were stringent, and the fleece production reached its height in the 11th and 12th centuries. Most accounts hold that the quality of the fleece produced back then has never been matched. When the Spanish Conquistadors invaded in the 1500s, they slaughtered the alpacas, preferring to raise sheep from their homeland instead. To save themselves and the alpacas, the Quechua Indians fled to the highlands of Peru, protecting the gentle animal from certain extinction.

I really enjoyed the time I spent at the Alpaca Bella Suri Farm photographing and playing with the alpacas. I usually only photograph wildlife, birds and flowers. This was the first time I spent some time with fleecy domesticated creatures, and I loved it. Next up...horses. I love horses and would like to photograph them one of these days...

...another post in the A Week of Alpacas series...

Have you ever hugged an alpaca?

If you haven't, run out and hug one today...because they are cute beyond belief and twice as sweet! I was lucky enough to spend some time at the Alpaca Bella Suri Farm a few weeks ago. I'm friends with the owner, Bill, and he let me come over to photograph and play with the little cuties!

A baby Suri Alpaca, called a cria, rests in the play yard watching all the action.

...taking a quick nap!

There are two types of alpacas, Suri Alpacas and Huacaya Alpacas. You can tell the difference between the two by their fleece:

Suri Alpacas

Suris have silky, flowing fleece. It lies close to the body and hangs down in shiny locks (almost like a curtain of silky, pencil-thin dreadlocks). Suris are rare, and breeders are working hard to preserve the breed. Right now, Suris account for only 6% of the world's population.

Huacaya Alpacas

Huacayas have wooly fleece like a lamb. The fleece sticks out from the body and is dense, soft...and curly. They look a little like long-necked Teddy bears and are just as cuddly!

I am going to try to post all week on the alpacas, introducing little bits of info here and there, and showing the two different types. I learned a lot from Bill...they are incredible animals.

...another post in the A Week of Alpacas series...