The basics of colour genetics
The genetic components responsible for the colour of an alpaca's base coat are labelled as a combination of 'e's and 'a's.
Each alpaca will have a 4 letter code with 2 x 'e's and 2 x 'a's which will either be upper case or lower case (eg EEAA, EEaa, EeAA etc)
The 'a's determine the type of colour pigment present
- A = red / yellow pigment (pheomelanin)
- a = black pigment (eumelanin)
The 'e's determine the extent to which the colour is displayed
- E = lets colour be expressed
- e = blocks black pigment from being expressed
A pure white alpaca is likely to have an eeAA code
A black alpaca is likely to have an EEaa code
The array of alpaca colours in between are the result of different 'e' and 'a' combinations and are illustrated in the Dark Sky Genie colour scale (shown above)
Watch the Genie's fun video which illustrates the 'e's and 'a's in action!
The 'a's are like light switches - either on or off
The 'e's act like dimmer switches - allowing more or less colour show up
How colour is inherited
'Each parent passes down one of their 'e's and one of their 'a's to the cria.
It's a 50:50 chance which of their letters they pass.
You can only be certain what will be passed if the parent has identical pairs of 'e's and 'a's, as shown in the illustration.
A bit more detail...
More detailed research has identified that the basic codes can be spilt further.
It is believed that the type of 'a' (a1, a2 or a3) affects the intensity of colour and the different types of 'e' (e1, e2 or e3) create a variety of dilution effects.
This may help to explain why some alpacas who have the same basic 4 letter code can look quite different to each other. For example, some alpacas with an EEaa code that you might expect to look black, can look dark brown - and some with an Eeaa code can look pure black.
It may turn out to be a very helpful level of detail to understand if you are aiming for a very specific colour outcome.
Matching up photos of alpacas with the various different codes is helping to drive and deepen the research and understanding of how all this works.
Another consideration to the overall colour of the an alpaca are patterns which 'sit on top' of the base colour . One of the most obvious is the classic grey pattern which has been successfully identified and your colour genetics report will tell you if the grey 'gene' is carried by your alpaca. This pattern typically gives the alpaca a white face, neck, feet and lower leg and also weaves white fibres through their blanket, resulting in a grey colour.
Work is on going to try to identify other potential patterns such as 'roan', appaloosa etc
More about classic greys
The classic grey gene is fascinating. Each alpaca either has it or doesn't have it and has a 50:50 chance of passing to their progeny. However, if both parents pass the gene, the pregnancy will not be viable and will abort very quickly (in circa 2 to 3 weeks) - hence it is sometimes referred to as a 'killer gene'. If just one parent passes the gene, the cria will always exhibit the pattern because it is a dominant gene. The only 'exception' to this is in very light alpacas who may not look as if they are grey. This is because the grey pattern is essentially white fibres - and these may not be obvious unless the base colour of the alpaca is dark enough.
Colour Testing Reports from Neogen
Earlier versions of reports
Earlier versions of reports
Earlier versions of reports
The Neogen colour testing reports contain a lot of detail!
The basic 4 letter code is in the column labelled MC1R + ASIP Genotype.
Latest reports
Earlier versions of reports
Earlier versions of reports
The reports are developing over time - but whichever you have, the Dark Sky Genie will take the data and present it in one consistent format showing both a basic and more detailed code.
If you would like an opportunity to see The Genie in action and test him out before you purchase then please head over to our shop (via the button above) and download a FREE copy to try.
The Demo Copy is loaded with real NEOGEN colour genetic data from a number of our Dark Sky herd alpacas.
The buttons on the data entry sheet are deliberately disabled in the Demo Copy, although you can see the fields and drop-downs that you would use to input your own data.
Other than that enjoy!