Secrets of the Alphas

The Alphas are an elite group of seven wise animals chosen to protect Jamaa. Legend goes that they were chosen by Zios and Mira, the two creators of Jamaa, after the phantoms arrived. Spooky. o.e

Up until 2011, this colorful bunch was known as the Shamans. They made their return with revamped designs and a new name. ^.^ Here are pictures of each alpha, before and after:

Liza

Liza went through perhaps one of the most drastic changes! Especially in the welcome to Jamaa. She went from this grizzled panda, complete with a cane:

To a sparkly, braided... I don't even know.

(and then she was replaced in the intro to Jamaa by Peck)

Fact: Lisa's name is a variant of Elizabeth, coming from the Hebrew name meaning Oath or Worshipper of God. This makes sense, given that she worships the gods Mira and Zios.

Weirdly enough, her name is also pronounced Aliza.

Peck

Peck is known as the artist of the bunch. She even has a namesake in Coral Canyons, the Art Studio.

As you can see by the multicolored pawprints, she's been there quite recently. :p

Fun Fact: Peck appears in the background of the Bunnies Only Party when the bunnies hop as a vague silhouette. (I cranked up the brightness in the second picture to make her more visible.)

Greely

This mysterious looking wolf is Greely. He's one of the more aloof Alphas and tends to keep mainly to himself. He is described by AJHQ as "the link to the darker side of the Animal Jam mythology." 

He was also falsely accused of being an ally of the phantoms.

How edgy. 8D

Fun Fact: Greely could have possibly been born in the month of July, since a Ruby birthstone was found in his office, located in Greely's Inferno and the Search for Greely.

Sir Gilbert

(Whew, look at those eyeballs! Anyways. owo)

Sir Gilbert is, surprisingly, the oldest of the alphas (and I always assumed it was Graham...) He's also responsible for most of the battle planning. 

Fun Fact: It is assumed that the medal on the blue sash tied around his arm was given to him by Mira, though it has not been confirmed by AJHQ.

Graham

Graham is the inventor of the Alphas- which makes sense, because being a monkey, he's the only one of the bunch with thumbs. XP

Fun Fact: He built Tavie's tail armor!

Cosmo

Overall, Cosmo's design transformation is one of my favorites. *w*

This koala is the healer of the Alphas, with an encyclopedic knowledge of herbs! In an adventure, we get to see the inside of his lovely, plant-covered home.

Fun Fact: Cosmo's name comes from the Cosmos Club, where the first meeting of the National Geographic Society took place in 1888. That's a very, very long time ago! :p

Tavie

On to my personal favorite Alpha! Tavie never went through a change from being a Shaman to an Alpha, because she's the most recent Alpha to be introduced. :D

Although she isn't as well known as Peck or Cosmo, maybe, she's considered a major alpha because she made an appearance in the adventures. ^-^

Fun Fact: Tavie was born without a tail fin, hence the mechanical one.

There are also a variety of minor alphas who have yet to appear in an adventure or interaction, but there's lots of possibility for them to be introduced in the future! c;

Of the minor alphas, my favorite is Olive.