A male alpaca

A castrated male alpaca.

A yearling alpaca, between the ages of 1-2.

One of two coat types of alpacas, presents with the typical "fluffy" appearance, with fibre growing perpendicular to the body and displaying "crimp". Huacaya fibre is known for producing a loftier yarn and can make good wooden, worsted, and semi-worsted yarns.

Crimp is the term used to describe the appearance of fibre, displaying a degree of waves on the fibre shaft, often described in terms of frequency (how often there are waves) and amplitude (how tall the waves are).

A histogram is a fibre test where the farmer either pulls a fibre sample from the animal's midside, or as a grid from its midside, shoulder, and hip, to provide quantitative measurements of fleece quality and characteristics. Histograms can either be completed as a "butt" sample, where the test measures the cut end of the fleece providing a uniform snapshot in time, or an "along length" sample that measures the full staple providing a measurement of the full year's growth, which can provide information about environment and animal health.

Handle is the qualitative descriptor of how soft handling a fleece is, while comfort factor is a quantitative descriptor of this quality often indicating what percent of the fibres in a histogram sample fall below 30 microns.

CV is the standard deviation expressed as a percentage of of the fibre's average micron, calculated by taking the SD, dividing it my the AFD, and multiplying it by 100. It can be used to help compare variation between different types of data, such as histogram samples collected using different methodologies, or samples collected over different points of time.

The average length of a sample of fibre that is relaxed, from cut end to tip. Staple length is used to help indicate what style of yarn that fibre may be suitable for, what kinds of equipment may be needed to process it, and also how much twist may be needed to make a strong yarn. It may also be used to help determine which fleece is not suitable for yarn and may be more appropriate for felting.

Also sometimes called EBV's or Estimated Breeding Value, EPD's are a tool used to help indicate the likelihood of certain traits being inherited and in what direction. Positive EPD values often indicate an increase in that value (ie, a positive value in MSL means on average, that animal will be more likely to produce offspring with longer staple lengths), while negative values may indicate a decrease in that value (ie, a negative value in AFD would indicate on average, those animals will be more likely to produce offspring with a lower micron fleece).

Huarizo and Misto are the terms used for alpacas that have been crossed with llamas. Huarizo is the term for a male llama bred to a female alpaca, and Misto is used for a female llama bred to a male alpaca. 

Dual registered means an alpaca holds registration with two or more registry bodies. In Canada, this typically means with the CLAA and the AOA.

One of the 22 natural shades and variants of alpaca fibre colour, usually ranging from a light peach or rose-gold colour, to a darker, almost coffee with cream colour. Can be solid, or "fading" where the animal displays lighter countershading on its undersides.

One of the 22 natural shades and variants of alpaca fibre colour. True black is a minimally-fading black that may be a cool or blue black in tone.

The term for the degradation of colour on the tips of alpaca fibre that can cause fading on the outer edge. It is more prominent on darker coloured fleeces, but is also a trait that can be selectively bred against in black animals, to produce minimal fading.

Grade is the class that alpaca fleeces may be sorted into, usually based on micron and how much "guard hair" is present. 

Cria tips are the outer ends of a crib's fleece that were exposed to amniotic fluid while in utero. These tips can display differences in colour and in micron, and are often seen as being like "velcro" in attracting vegetable matter.

A female alpaca.

A baby alpaca before the age of 1.

The term for alpaca "wool", differentiated by a different hair structure than wool.

One of two coat types of alpacas, presents with a "silky" "sleek" appearance, where fibre drapes across the body in twisting locks. Suri fibre is known for being lustrous, and having fantastic drape.

Lustre or Brightness describes the reflective qualities of alpaca fibre. Lustre is used to describe how shiny and reflective suri fleece is, while brightness describes huacaya.

Micron, also denoted by "AFD" or Average Fibre Diameter, is the unit of measurement displaying the average thickness of alpaca fibre. It is then used to indicate which grade class that fibre may fall into, which end products it is best suited for, and can be an indicator of handle/prickle factor.

Standard deviation is a term used in histograms to describe how much variation in micron there is between fibres in a given sample. Usually, the lower the standard deviation, the more it indicates uniformity as there is less deviation.

The percentage of fibres in a given sample with fibres over 30 microns in diameter. This is the inverse of comfort factor, and the more fibres that are over 30 microns, the more likely the fleece will handle harsher or with prickle.

Usually measured in degrees per millimetre or deg/mm, curvature provides an indication of how tightly that sample of fibre rotates around itself in a coiling, corkscrew fashion. It is believed that curvature is indicative of crimp frequency and can be indicative of organization.

The distinct sound a male alpaca makes that is reminiscent of someone making a small boat engine sound when breeding, often to help encourage the female to lay down. It is believed to help induce ovulation in the female while breeding.

A sample of alpaca stool used to indicate whether there is the presence of parasites or pathogens that may be causing weight loss or illness in an alpaca. 

CLAA is the Canadian Llama and Alpaca Registry, which is the registering body for camelids in Canada. It is regulated by the Animal Pedigree act.

AOA is the Alpaca Owners Association formerly known as the ARI (Alpaca Registry Inc) and AOBA (Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association). It is the combined registry and association for alpacas in the United States.

ILR stands for the International Lama Registry, which is a registry body that maintains records of South American camelids across the world. 

One of the 22 natural shades and variations of alpaca fleece colour. Bay Black is a warm toned black, which may or may not display sun bleaching at the tips.

These are terms for colour classes, so Light classes often include animals with beige or light fawn fleeces; while Dark often includes animals with brown to black, and even grey fleeces.