An Introduction to
Camelid (camel-id)
A family of animals of which the alpaca is a member. The family also includes camels, llamas, guanacos, and vicuñas.
Huacaya
(wah-ki-ah) and Suri (sir-e)
The two types of alpacas. They are exactly the same except for the appearance of the fiber. A Suri alpaca has no crimp (a tight waviness) in the fiber. Suri fiber tends to drape off the animal and has the appearance of being wound in dreadlocks. The Huacaya alpaca has a great deal of crimp in the fiber giving the alpaca a round, woolly, and huggable appearance.
Cria (cre-a)
A baby alpaca. The term comes from the Spanish word for creation.
Fiber (alpaca
treasure)
The fur or wool of an alpaca; also known as fleece.
Sire and Dam
The father and mother of a cria.
