Suris

What to look for in a Suri
Although a suri looks very different from the more common huacaya, the conformational traits to look out for are generally the same. The animal should be well proportioned, have straight legs and back, a rounded rump and correct bite. The ears may be slightly longer and the muzzle shorter than a huacaya.

Conformation
As outlined in the AAA Breed Standard Fleece
As outlined in the AAA Breed Standard the characteristics of the fleece are what distinguish the suri. When assessing a suri, you should look for the following. Lustre - perhaps the single most important characteristic of suri fibre, lustre is the shine inherent to the most exquisite fleeces - open up a fleece to assess the lustre next to the skin. Lustre is influenced by consistency of colour and micron of the fleece, as well as the structure of the fibre (i.e. the more spherical the fibre is, the more it will reflect light). It can also be influenced by dirt and dust. Although there are a lot of variables, including genetic influencers, because white (and often black) animals are a consistent colour, they usually have greater lustre than coloured animals. Use a subjective score of 5 (no lustre) to 1 (extreme lustre) to assess animals against each other. The more animals you assess, the better you will get at making this subjective measurement. Remember though, that environmental impacts, such as nutrition, dust in the fleece and illness or stress can impact on lustre.

Fineness - the finer the fleece, the softer and more lustrous it is and the higher its price. In Peru, fibre of different classes is mixed together for processing. Some believe this gives Australia an opportunity to develop a world market in superfine suri.
The current AAFL classes for fineness are:
S1 (superfine)< 20 micron
S2 (fine)20-23 micron
S3 (medium)23-28 micron
S4 (strong)28-32 micron
S5 (extra strong)30-34 micron

Fineness should be uniform over the body of the animal from the neck through the body to the rump. Assessment of fineness can be done visually (this takes some practice) or using a fibre testing laboratory (the output of which is a detailed report and histogram showing distribution of fibre micron in the sample). To assess fineness visually, take a sample of fleece (it is often a good idea to do this on a number of different sites on the animal - shoulder, midside and rump), spread the fibres into a spiderweb and lay against a dark background for light fibres or light background for dark fibres. You should be able to see the fineness of the fibres, as well as any coarser fibres or guard hairs in the sample.

Laboratory analysis will provide a significant amount of information on the sample analysed (either a midside sample or an all-over fleece grid sample). The histogram will indicate the uniformity of the micron. A coefficient of variation (CV) should be less than 20% to indicate consistency of micron. Remember there will be some variation of results between different labs, different measurement machines used, inconsistencies in sampling, etc., so beware of using histogram results as absolutes.

Suris naturally have less medullation than huacayas, but this is something to look for when assessing an animal or a fleece. While some medullated (or hollow) fibres are acceptable in a fleece, the coarse medullated fibres called guard hairs cause problems in processing and increase the prickle factor of finished goods. To assess for medullated fibres, pull at the tip of a lock - the medullated fibres will be obvious as coarser and straight fibres sticking out the top.

Lock 'architecture' - well-defined pencil locks which persist throughout the fleece (not just on the surface) and are evident right to the skin. These can be curled, twisted or waves, but must hang down in individual locks. While there are a variety of different lock styles, current research has identified four locking styles. These are:

Twist ringlet
fleece
the staple twists around to form a ringlet which hangs straight down from the animal.		 Wave and twist ringlet
fleece
the twist ringlet also has a wave so that it does not hang perfectly straightly.
Corkscrew
fleece
the staple forms a tight corkscrew-type wave (a more pronounced version of the wave & twist).		 Broad wave
fleece
the staple forms a broad wave with less evidence of twist.

Whatever the lock style, a good example of locking should be consistent over the animal, from forelock to tail and should continue for the whole length of the staple (from tip to skin). Often when the fleece becomes longer, the tight twist evident at the tip flattens into a fan-shape where it joins the skin. The best and more densely fleeced animals have tight locks right to the skin.

Density - is important in regard to return for fleeces and it also helps keep out dust and vegetable matter. Density is difficult to determine on an animal, although grabbing and lifting the fibre will give an indication of the amount of fleece (number of fibres) and fleece weight (determined by length, micron and number of fibres in a handful) on an animal.

The scientific method of determining density is to take a skin biopsy and determine the secondary to primary hair follicle ratios and number of hair follicles in a square millimetre of skin. Holt & Watts (2005) found that finer animals have a higher secondary to primary follicle ratio and greater follicle density. However, the breeder can identify dense animals by recording fleece weights and staple length at each shearing.

Uniformity - the locking and fineness should be uniform over the body of the animal from the neck through the body to the rump and even extending down on the legs. When assessing an animal, open up and sample fibre from the shoulder, midside and rump. Also look at the forelock for medullation and locking and the tail (particularly important in previously shorn animals to assess locking. It is common for there to be differences in quality of locking style across the body or from one side of the animal to another, particularly in coloured animals. Remember to check the apron for coarse fibres and guard hairs.

Coverage - the suri should be well covered, with a long forelock, fleece on cheeks and chin, the front and rear legs should be well covered with consistent locking to the toes.

Colour - colour is personal choice; the whites and light fawns are more common (about 90% of Peruvian clip), but are generally of higher quality than the rarer coloured suris. Colour should be consistent across the body.

Length - Suri fleece generally grows 10-16 cm per year (more in the first year and less as they age). The acceptable lengths for processing suri are:
Class Length
A/B90-150 mm
AAFL is hoping to develop a use for suri fleece under 90mm but the quantity currently received is small and will take time to increase to a commercial quantity. Greater than 150 mm is overgrown and cannot be processed by AAFL at this time. However, there are some mini-mills and other small volume processors that can process these longer fibres.

Length, in addition to micron and density, contributes to total fleece weight (and hence, value of the fleece) and so must be considered in breeding decisions (as long as annual fleece growth is within the classes above).

Applicability to the AGE
Australian suri breeders are developing criteria to use in the Across-herd Genetic Evaluation (AGE) service for alpaca, which will allow evaluation of animals within a breeder's herd and assist in making breeding decisions by comparing estimated breeding values for stud sires.

Easy care suri alpacas
Alpacas are hardy and generally disease and parasite resistant. They require basic care comprising vaccinations every six months, occasional toenail and teeth trimming and annual shearing. They are very easy to herd and handle.

Suris also: Suris are ideal for: Why breed suris?
Suri is one of the few noble fibres which genuinely has a niche in the wardrobe of natural (woollen) fibres in the prevailing world market. Quality suri, especially in the lower micron ranges, is extremely rare.

The European mills are looking for fibres of difference and their response to the low micron high performance suri has been very positive. Australia can breed better quality suri than anywhere in the world.