No offense Bah, Bah, Black Sheep, but alpaca fleece -- with its silky texture and 22 natural earthtone colors -- is an up-and-coming commodity on the natural fiber fashion scene.

Native to the plateaus of South America, long-necked alpacas are gaining a foothold in North America, where pedigrees are as coveted as a prize bull's.

There are alpaca ranches and alpaca herds. There are even alpaca tours, as you will soon read about.

But first, what exactly is an alpaca?

Alpacas, domesticated by the Incas thousands of years ago, are relatives of camels and llamas. Unlike camels, however, alpacas do not store water, and unlike llamas, alpacas are not pack animals. Alpacas are prized for their fiber, which has been described as warmer than wool and softer than cashmere.

There are two types of alpacas, the Huacaya (crimped fiber) and the Suri (straight fiber). In 1984, the first alpacas were imported to the United States from Chile and Bolivia.

Alpacas are also easy to raise and have a gentle disposition (they occasionally spit, but only at each other), which begs the question -- are they pets, or are they business?

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