Useful terms and alpaca words are listed below. Spanish is a common language for a lot of alpaca terms and we have also included some less common ones. We would be pleased to hear of any more so we can add them to the list.
huacaya – (pronounced wa-ky-ah)
The most common breed of alpaca around the world with dense, crimpy sheep-like fleece
suri
The more rare breed of alpaca whose fleece is arranged in silky dreadlocks. A heavier, lustrous fibre, this is ideal for woven fleece products. A good example of a suri should have fibre on the neck which is cool to the touch! There are different styles of lock structure within a fleece.
- A suri female
macho
the term for a male alpaca
hembra
the term for a female alpaca
punta
a herd of alpacas
wether
a castrated male alpaca
weanling
cria 5 – 6 mths old
yearling
alpaca at 1 year of age
cria
baby alpaca (meaning spanish for creation)
orgling
the noise made by the macho when mating
humming
the noise alpacas make to communicate with each other
Calving
giving birth, also known as unpacking or criating