Artificial Insemination (AI) refers to reproductive technology in which semen is collected from males and then used to inseminate a female.  AI is not used in alpaca breeding due to the difficulties in storing semen.  It is an area being researched.

Australian Alpaca Association Ltd (AAA) is the member organisation for alpaca breeders to which Aingeal Ridge Alpacas belong.

BC1 is the first generation of crosses between hybrids and purebreds.  This is usually used in describing suris, those from a suri/first cross mating.

Beserk Male is a condition attributed to a male alpaca that may have been over handled as a cria and grows to expect dominance over human handlers.

Blanket is a term given to that part of the fleece that is most commercially valuable.  It is the area that begins at the shoulder, runs the full length of the back and down into the belly.  It excludes the neck, leg, chest, belly and britch.  This area is also known as the ‘saddle’.

Bloodline relates to the pedigree or genetic heritage of an animal or group of animals.

Breeding Objective is the description of the long-term production goals attributed to a breeding program.

Breeding Value is a weighted combination of traits defining an animal’s value for use in an economic index.

Bundles relate to the organisation of a fleece, with bundles being formed by the arrangement and density of the follicles in the skin.

Carding is part of the early stage processing of wool.  Carding removes residual vegetable matter and commences the alignment of fibres to form slivers. [click here for more info]

Certification is the AAA’s process of approving a male as having appropriate conformation for breeding.  This process includes a vet assessment as well as the collection of blood and follicle samples for DNA fingerprinting.  The sire must be certified in order to register a cria and the rules relating to certification are available from the AAA.

Characteristic is a specific phenotypic trait, such as fineness.

Coefficient of Variation (CV) is the variation around the mean expressed as a percentage. [click here for more info]

Combing is part of the early stage processing of wool.  Combing removes the shorter fibres (noil) leaving tops. [click here for more info]

Cria is a camelid less than twelve months old.

Crimp is the regular undulation along the length of an individual or lock of fibre. [click here for more info]

Culling is the process of removing animals from a breeding program.

Cush is the term given to the alpaca sitting position, with legs folded up underneath the body.

Dam is a female parent.

DNA is the acronym for deoxyribonucleic acid, which forms a genetic code.  Recording an individual’s dna code will create a unique genetic fingerprint.

Dominance occurs when one gene has more effect than another.

Drenching is the term given to the management of internal parasites, such as worms by the application of an appropriate product, either orally or by injection.

Drive-Through Mating is a mating that occurs when the owner of the dam takes her to the chosen sire for mating and then immediately takes her home.

Dystocia relates to birthing difficulties.

Embryo forms in the early stage of reproduction.

Embryo Transfer is the placement of donor embryos into a recipient or surrogate dam.

Environmental Effect is the effect that external factors may have on an animal’s performance.

Estimated Breeding Value relates to a prediction of animal’s breeding value.

Fertility is a measure of an animal’s ability to conceive (female) or impregnate (male).

Fineness is a measure in microns (m) of a fibre.  This is usually expressed as a mean (or average) of a sample of fibres. [click here for more info]

Fleece Weight is the measurement of an animal’s entire fleece at the same time each year, usually at shearing.  This is sometimes ‘annualised’ to give an indication of growth if shearing has occurred at different times through the year.

Follicle is a specialised epidermal structure embedded within the dermis layer of skin.  It is characterised by a tubular shaft that opens to the skin via the pilary canal and terminates at its base with the follicle bulb.

Guanaco is a member of the South American Camelid family.  [click here for more info]

Guard Hair is a term commonly given to the coarser, second coat of fibre.  This is more prevalent in llamas, vicunas and guanacos than it is in alpacas.  The refinement of guard hair is one of the challenges of managed breeding of alpacas.

Hembra is the term given to a female adult alpaca.

Heterozygous is a one-locus genotype containing different alleles which express themselves in different ways.  This is a term often used in discussing suri males.

Histogram is a graphical representation of quantitative data.  In alpaca terms, it is used to refer to a micron test report. [click here for more info]

Homozygous is a one-locus genotype containing different alleles which express themselves in an identical pattern.  This is a term often used in discussing suri males.

Huacaya is a breed of alpaca characterised by fleece style that is similar to a merino growing perpendicular to the skin.

Hybrid is an individual that is a combination of species, or breeds within a species.

Hybrid Vigour represents the increase in performance experienced by a hybrid, that can be attributable to the combining of two species, or breeds within a species.

Inbreeding is a term given to the mating of related animals.

Inbreeding Coefficient is a measurement of the level inbreeding.

Lanolin is produced from the extracted woolgrease when processing sheep wool.  It is a valuable by-product of the process and is mostly used in the cosmetics industry. [click here for more info]

Line relates to a group of related animals within a herd.

Linebreeding refers to the mating of individual animals within a particular line.  It is a term given to a mating system design to maintain a substantial degree of relationship to a highly regarded ancestor or group of ancestors.

Llama is a member of the South American Camelid family.  [click here for more info]

Macho is the term given to a male adult alpaca.

Mating refers to the management of breeding between selected males and females.

Mean refers to an average. [click here for more info]

Medullated Fibre is a term commonly given to the coarser, longer fibres that form within a fleece.  Medullation is the presence of medulla - a network of airfilled membranes and spaces running along the centre of the fibre which result from the collapse of medullary cells.  This can vary from a series of small isolated cavities to a latticed structure.

Melanin is the pigment in skin which determines skin and hair/coat/fleece colour.

Mobile Mating is common term for outside services where the owner of the sire brings the sire to the dam for mating.

Multicolour or Multi is an animal with two or more colours in its fleece.  This is term generally given to animals with more than one or two small spots.

Natural Selection occurs independently of human control.

Noil is the term given to the shorter fibres extracted by the combing process in early stage wool processing.  Noil is a valuable by product of this process. [click here for more info]

On-Farm Mating occurs when a dam is taken to reside at the stud of the sire for a period of time for mating.

Outcross is the introduction of an completely unrelated animal into a breeding program.

Pedigree is a recorded list of ancestors.

Phenotype is an observed category or measured level of performance for a trait in an individual.

Plantel is a term given to the best of a plantation, it is often used to refer to the finest or best breeding stock in a stud.

Polydactylism is a condition where more than the ordinary number of toes are present.

Polygenic Trait is a trait affected by more than one gene and no single gene is dominant.

Prepotency is the ability of an individual animal to produce progeny whose performance is like its own or is especially uniform.

Progeny Test is a test used to assist the prediction of an individual animal’s breeding value.

Purebred is an animal wholly of one breed or line.

Recessive Genes occur when one gene has less effect than another.

Replacement Rate is the rate at which newly selected stock replace existing parents.

Roan is an animal coat colour that is determined by a reasonably uniform mix of coloured fibres.

Saddle is a term given to that part of the fleece that is most commercially valuable.  It is the area that begins at the shoulder, runs the full length of the back and down into the belly.  It excludes the neck, leg, chest, belly and britch.  This area is also known as the ‘blanket’.

Scouring is the cleaning or washing of wool before processing. [click here for more info]  Scouring is also a term given to the symptoms of diarrhoea when exhibiting by livestock.

Seed Stock are those breeding stock whose role it is to be a parent, contributing to the next generation.

Service Fees are those fees the owner of a dam will pay to the owner of a sire for a mating from that sire.

Sire is a male parent.

Sliver is the term given to a hank of fibre produced by the carding process. [click here for more info]

Standard Deviation is a mathematical measure of variation from the mean. [click here for more info]

Staple is an organised independent or cluster of individual fibres. [click here for more info]

Stocking Rate refers to the number of animals a property can comfortably carry without the necessity for supplementary feeding.  A stocking rate is usually measured in DSE (dry sheep equivalent) and can be assessed by your local Department of Primary Industry office (or equivalent in other states).  Alpacas are usually considered to be the equivalent of one to one and one half DSE.

Superwash is a value-added early stage wool process that, in effect, preshrinks the wool using a chlorine based process. [click here for more info]

Suri is a breed of alpaca characterised by long, lustrous locks of fleece that lay close to the body, twisting vertically towards the ground.

Syndactylism is a condition where two or more toes are fused together.

Test Mating is a mating designed to reveal the genotype of an animal.

Tops is the term given a continuous strand of combed wool. [click here for more info]

Trait is any observable or measurable characteristic.

Tui is a ‘teenage’ camelid.

Vaccination is the term given to the prevention of disease by the application of an appropriate product, usually by injection.

Vicuna is a member of the South American Camelid family.  [click here for more info]

Weaning refers to the removing of a cria from its mother so as to permanently take it off milk.  This usually happens when the cria is about six months old as gains nutrition from pasture and rationed feed.

Wether is a term given to a castrated male.

Woollen relates to yarn that has been made from fibres that have been carded only. [click here for more info]

Worsted relates to yarn that has been made from fibres that have been carded and combed. [click here for more info]