Semen Handling in South American Camelids: State of the Art

Semen preservation and artificial insemination in domesticated South American camelids.

Semen preservation and artificial insemination in South American camelids are reviewed giving emphasis to work done in Peru and by the authors. Reports on semen evaluation and the preservation process indicate that semen of alpacas and llamas can be manipulated by making it liquid first. Collagenase appears to be the best enzyme to eliminate viscosity. Tris buffer solution maintains a higher mo...

Reproduction in South American Camelids

Reproduction in South American Camelids

All camelids (including the Bactrian [2 humps] and Dromedary [1 hump] old world camels) have a diploid number of 74 chromosomes. Interbreeding can occur between any of these species, producing fertile offspring. In llama and alpaca are occasionally interbred, producing an animal with longer but coarser fibre length than Alpaca. These are known as Huarizo. Using artificial insemination between o...

Induction of superovulation in South American camelids.

The development of assisted reproductive technologies such as embryo transfer (ET), artificial insemination (AI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) in South American camelids is considerably behind that of other livestock species. Poor success of the embryo transfer technique has been related to a lack of an effective superstimulatory treatment, low embryo recovery rate, and the recovery of hatch...

Embryo transfer in domestic South American camelids.

Intraspecific and interspecific embryo transfer in domestic South American camelids is developing into a well-established technique. Reports reveal many benefits of using reproductive biotechnologies to allow rapid propagation of alpacas and llamas of high genetic merit (e.g., high fiber quality, preserve color variation). The objective of this review is to provide up-to-date information about ...