The Lingo
This page is for non breeders or new breeders who want to understand what that experienced alpaca breeder is yabbering on about, when they're trying to sell their alpacas. People new to alpacas might also want to check out our glossary page if they are reading articles on this site and want further information.
First there are the two alpaca breed types Huacaya and Suri. Huacaya is pronounced Wah kye (as in eye) yah. Suri is pronounced Su (as in the name Sue) ri (as in reed).
A female alpaca is called a Hembra and a male is called a Macho.
A Hembra who is being referred to as the mother of an alpaca is called the Dam.
A Macho who is being referred to as the father of an alpaca is called the Sire.
A baby alpaca is called a Cria.
Giving birth can be called Unpacking or Cri- ation.
A Hembra who has not been mated is called a Maiden.
A cria (baby) that reaches 1 year old is no longer called a cria and is now called a Tui.
When referring to an alpaca’s parentage it is usual to say the alpaca is out of the Dam and by the male. For example: Aotearoa Mana is out of Hadstock NZ Amazing Lady and by Mitchell Park Gladiator. When asking about parentage you could say “Who is the Dam?” or “Who is he/she out of?” “Who is the Sire?” or “Who is he/she by?”
Occaisonally the term Distaff is used to refer to the Dam or the maternal bloodlines, this is a term historically used to refer to the female parentage of racehorses.
When a Macho is mated to a Hembra this can be called being put to the Macho. For example: “I am going to put Aotearoa Lauren to Aotearoa Mana". This is also called Covering. For example: When you have a pregnant Hembra you could say “The covering sire is Aotearoa Mana” or “Covered by Aotearoa Mana”. People also simply say “Mated to Aotearoa Mana”. The same references can be used for record keeping such as Last Covering Date or Last Mating Date.
Lustre is the term used to describe the brightness or shininess of an alpaca’s fleece. It is usually a subjective determination of the amount of light being reflected by the fleece. I say this is usually subjective as there is the ability to record the amount of light being reflected from an object but generally this is not used to ascertain an alpaca’s Lustre. In other words Lustre is in the eye of the beholder. Typically Lustre is the term used for Suri and Brightness is used for Huacaya, but the two terms are commonly used interchangeably. Good Lustre can normally be seen on a Suri from a distance and the fleece can appear to shine in the sunlight. The same can less frequently be said about some Huacaya. However for both breeds the opening of the fleece to the skin is usually where the subjective view of any lustre or brightness can be determined. The Lustre is generally an indication of the smoothness of the fibre follicle scales, but can also be environmental and impacted on by the amount of grease or fatty oil an alpaca is excreting.
