exotic animal fibers
In addition to Sheep Wool Breeds, there are other animals which produce Exotic Animal Fibers
exotic animal fibers are produced by camelids, rabbits, goats and bovines
Along with the information on various exotic animals, discover the people behind these exotics and learn more about them.
Let's start with some members of the Camel family (Camelids) to explore some exotic animal fibers
Huacaya Alpacas- The Most Common Type of Alpaca
COLORS- White and 21 Natural Colors
MICRONS- <18 to 41
LENGTH- 3 to 5 Inches
FIBER YIELD- 5 1/2 to 13 Pounds
ORIGINS- Peru, Bolivia and Chili
Huacaya Alpaca Fleece
Suri Alpaca- The Long Fiber Alpaca
COLORS- White and 21 Natural Colors
MICRONS- <20 to over 30
LENGTH- 5 to 7 Inches
FIBER YIELD- 4 to 11 Pounds
ORIGINS- Peru, Bolivia and Chili
This is Suri Alpaca fiber on the Alpaca.
Photo Credit to Laurel R Shouvlin for this photo.
The Llama- Most well known Small Camelid
FIBER YIELD- 4 to 8 Pounds
ORIGINS- Peru, Bolivia and Chili
Guanaco- Largest South American Camelid
COLORS- 20 Shades Light Cream to Brown
They have a grey face.
MICRONS- 14 to 15
LENGTH- 3 to 4 Inches (Undercoat)
FIBER YIELD- 1 to 2 Pounds
ORIGINS- Peru, Bolivia and Chili
Vicuna- Smallest Camelid in South America
FIBER YIELD- 1/2 to 1 Pound
ORIGINS- Peru, Bolivia and Chili
Bactrian Camel- The One With Two Humps
COLORS- White and Natural Shades of Brown
MICRONS- 15 to 22
LENGTH- Undercoat 3 Inches; Hair 12 Plus Inches
FIBER YIELD- Undercoat 5 Pounds; Hair 15 to 20 Pounds
ORIGINS- Mongolia and China
In addition to rabbits, we have goats and members of the Cow family (Bovines)
Angora Rabbits
FIBER YIELD- 1/2 to over 1 Pound
ORIGINS- TURKEY
Cashmere, an exotic animal fiber, is the undercoat of any goat
COLORS- White, Brown and Grey
MICRONS- 14 to 19 (Undercoat)
LENGTH- 1 1/4 Inch Plus (Undercoat)
FIBER YIELD- Less than 1/2 Pound (Undercoat)
ORIGINS- Himalayas
Angora goats produce mohair
FIBER YIELD- 11 to 13 Pounds (Twice a year)
ORIGINS- Turkey
Musk Ox produce Qiviut fiber
FIBER YIELD- 3 to 9 Pounds
ORIGINS- Canada and Greenland
Ever tried Yak Fiber?
COLORS- Black and Natural Colors
MICRONS- 16 to 20 (undercoat)
LENGTH- 1 1/2 Inches (undercoat)
FIBER YIELD- 1/2 to 1 1/2 Pounds
ORIGINS- Tibet
I hope you learned something about these exotic fiber animals and have had a chance to check out the informational links.
Happy exploring!!