This is for my readers who are new to alpacas and have no idea what I’m talking about. Read this if you have no idea what an alpaca is.

The following are some terms that we use in the alpaca world that you may not be familiar with:

Cria

CRIA. A cria is a baby alpaca. From the Spanish “criation”.

Dam with her cria

DAM. Momma alpaca. Alpacas have one baby a year and gestate for 11-12 months.

Herdsire

HERDSIRE. Daddy alpaca. All alpaca breedings are done “live”. No artificial seminations or embryo transfers.

Huacaya alpaca

HUACAYA. One of the two types of alpacas. Huacayas have fleece that stands away from their bodies, giving them that “Teddy Bear” look.

Suri alpaca

SURI. 1. The other type of alpaca. A suri’s fiber hangs in locks and is famous for its luster. 2. Tom Cruise’s daughter.

Orgling

ORGLING. This is the sound a male alpaca makes while breeding. It induces ovulation in the female.

Alpaca fiber

FIBER. Alpaca fleece. Alpacas are shorn once a year. This is good for their health and provides breeders with a harvest of  fleece to be used to make luxurious yarn and end products.

Leave a comment and let me know if there are other terms that I use that leave you scratching your head.

PRONKING. Can’t believe I forgot this one. Full Explanation here.

If you would like to know more about alpacas, contact Katy Spears.

January 25th, 2009 | Tags: alpaca breeding, Alpacas, artificial insemination, breeding, cria, criation, dam, embryo transfer, end products, female, fiber, fleece, gestation, harvest, health, herdsire, huacaya, locks, luster, luxurious, male, orgling, shorn, Spanish, suri, Suri Cruise, teddy bear, Tom Cruise, yarn | Category: Alpacas | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL