ALPACA: A member of the camelid family found originally in the Altiplano of South America.

ALTIPLANO: The high plateau in southern Peru and northwestern Bolivia located around Lake Titicaca.

BERSERK: An alpaca  who was afforded too much affection by humans as a newborn cria and has shown aggerssion towards them at one time or another as an adult.  In times of aggression it is said that they went berserk.

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 breech. The term originated from the image of a horse's saddle blanket.

BLOODLINE: Breeder's term that alludes to pedigree.

BREED: A race of animals within a species. Animals of the same breed usually have a common origin and similar identifying characteristics.

BUNDLED STAPLES: A grouping of micro staples that together form a larger staple. The formation of micro staples is determined by the arrangement and density of the follicles in the skin. Bundling is said to be an indicator of a dense fleece, due to the evenness of follicle size and consistency of shape in the skin. (Cameron Holt, Private Correspondence.)

BURNING: Removing vegetable matter from fiber during processing through the use of chemicals.

CARDING: The final cleaning process, accomplished by either hand or machine, through which alpaca fiber goes before spinning.

CRIA (Cree-a): 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.

CULLING: The process that determines which animals in a herd will not be bred.

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.

FLEECE WEIGHT: The weight of an entire fleece measured at the same time each season.

GREASY ALPACA FLEECE: A commercial term identifying unwashed alpaca fleece.

GUARD HAIR: Also kemp. Coarse medulated fiber. A second coat of fiber found in llamas, vicuna, guanacos, and, to a lesser degree, alpacas.

HUACAYA (Wha- Ki-Ya): A breed of alpaca characterized by a well-crimped fleece that grows perpendicular to the skin.

HUARIZO: A crossbred animal. A term most often used to describe a llama-alpaca cross. Characterized by weak, medulated fiber and poor breed type.

KEMP: Guard hair or medulated fiber.

LAMA: Scientific name for the genus containing llamas, alpacas, guanacos, and vicunas; vicunas are sometimes separated into their own genus.

MACHO/ STUD: Male alpaca used in a breeding program.

MEDULLA: The hollow core found in coarse guard hair or kemp fibers, often found in the chest and underbelly portions of the fleece.

PIEBALD: Pinto; in the New Zealand color study, an alpaca with white and black patches.

PINTO: A two or more colored animal characterized by large patches of color.

SEED STOCK: Breeding stock; animals whose role is to be a parent or, in other words, to contribute genes to the next generation.

SIRE: The father of any particular animal.

STAPLE: An organized independent group or cluster of individual fibers. A large number of staples constitute a fleece.

STAPLE LENGTH: The length of a lock or length of shorn alpaca fleece.

SURI (Sur-ee): A breed of alpaca characterized by lustrous locks of fleece that lay close to the body, twisting vertically toward the ground.

TUI (Too-ee): An eighteen-month-old alpaca.

VICUNA (Vi- coon-yah): Native South American camelid, thought to be the ancestor of the domesticated alpaca. Vicunas, which exhibit the finest natural fiber in the world, can cross-breed with alpacas.

WOOLEN: Yarn made from fibers that are one to three inches in length and that have been carded only. Fabrics of woolen yarn are characterized as being fuzzy, thick, and bulky.

WORSTED: Yarn spun from fibers three inches in length or longer that have been carded, combed, and drawn. Combing machines straighten alpaca slivers, making the individual fibers lie parallel.