Glossary of alpaca-related terms
Trying to understand some of the terms used or perhaps wanting to know the name for something? Here's a list of commonly used terms.
BERSERK MALE:
A male who was afforded too much affection by humans as a cria and shows no fear of them as an adult.
BLANKET:
The highest quality fleece which begins at the shoulder, runs the full length of the back and down each side until it meets the more medulated fiber on the belly. Excludes neck, leg, chest, belly, and britch.
BLOODLINE:
Breeder's term that alludes to pedigree.
CARDING:
The final cleaning process, accomplished by either hand or machine, through which alpaca fiber goes before spinning.
CHARACTERISTICS:
A specific phenotypic trait, such as crimp or fineness.
CRIA:
A camelid less than one year old.
CRIMP:
The regular undulation along the length of an individual fiber or lock of fiber. A higher number of crimps per inch can indicate a finer fiber.
DAM:
A female parent
FINENESS:
A measure, in microns, of the diameter of individual fibers. Most often expressed as an average for a representative sample of fiber.
HEMBRA:
A female alpaca.
HUACAYA:
A breed of alpaca characterized by a well-crimped fleece that grows perpendicular to the skin.
MACHO:
Male alpaca used in the breeding program.
PEDIGREE:
A recorded list or genealogy of an alpaca's ancestors. A registered or recorded known line of descent.
SIRE:
A male parent.
STAPLE:
An organized independent group or cluster of individual fibers. A large number of staples constitute a fleece
SURI:
A breed of alpaca characterized by lustrous locks of fleece that lay close to the body, twisting vertically toward the ground.
TUI:
An alpaca between the ages of 12 months and 2 years..
WETHER:
A castrated male alpaca.