WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BABY ALPACA AND ADULT ALPACA FLEECE?

The term "baby alpaca" is actually not about the age of the animal at all, but it is about the fineness of the wool.  The finest and most soft wool will come from the chest of the animal. This is the wool that will give you the softest outcome and the wool that is considered baby alpaca was once reserved for only royalty.  Luckily today, everyone gets to enjoy this fine wool. We choose alpaca wool because the wool is so soft but it has a higher insulating factor than that of sheep wool and is much lighter weight.  

Alpaca wools come in various levels of fineness as we might suspect with any material.  The wool has various grades and that is what baby alpaca wool means, it has nothing to do with the age of the animals, contrary to popular belief.  

What are alpacas?

Here we go talking about alpaca's as if you have a clue what they are.  Most people today have come in contact with an alpaca something as they are popular in decor.  However, they are, oftentimes, confused with a lama because of how they look. But, these two are very different actually.  Alpacas and lamas do look quite a bit alike but their size and ears are two distinguishing factors. Alpaca have been bread in Peru for their wool and lamas were bred to be pack animals and help to haul things.  Lamas generally have less hair on their faces than alpacas do as well.  

Baby Alpaca Fleece is just a term

Alpacas are herd animals that were once wild but are no longer.  The wool of both the babies and the adults are generally the same.  Of course, when the little ones are first born they have very little wool on their bodies but that comes in overtime.  They do have quite a bit on their heads already though. A baby is called a cria and is born at 18-20 lbs. They have a lifespan of 20 years.  The gestation time for an alpaca is 242-345 days. The females are ready to breed when they are a little over a year old. However, the males take much longer at 30-36 months.  Typically they birth just one offspring. Some Andean people will actually eat alpaca as well as enjoy their wonderful wool. It is even served in upscale restaurants in the area as well.  

So, asking what the wool is like from an adult to a baby isn't actually what you were looking for.  Baby alpaca is a term used in the industry that describes that of the highest quality of wool. Many times this wool comes from the chest of the animal, however, the ranchers know what they are looking for.  If you want something that durable, beautiful, warm, soft and waterproof, an alpaca garment may be just the thing.  

You can find our alpaca clothing line here.  There we offer scarves, beanies, stuffed animals and more.  Take a look around and we are sure you will find something that you simply adore.  Check out this alpaca teddy bear stuffed animal for example.